304. Shopping

Lin Fuman immediately praised, "It's delicious! It's better than anything I've ever had before."

The little dumpling admired the sugar painting for a while, then licked it himself, squinting his eyes: "Sweet, delicious!"

Jiang Xiyue followed behind, watching the two children eat the sugar paintings, and couldn't help but laugh.

She reached out and tidied the little one's hair from his forehead: "Eat slowly, don't rush, Mommy will buy you other delicious things later."

The three of them ate as they walked.

There was a stall selling small clay figurines by the roadside.

The stall was filled with all sorts of little clay figures, each one endearing and brightly colored, with white faces, black eyes, and colorful clothes, making them exceptionally cute.

The stall owner was an old man who was sitting on a small stool, holding a small brush in his hand, painting a freshly sculpted clay figure. His movements were slow and deliberate, but he was extremely serious.

The little dumpling was immediately attracted by the clay figure.

It seems like she's learned this before!

She happily pulled Lin Fuman to the stall to observe it carefully, and soon discovered that it was different from the dough figurines she had learned before.

This seems inedible...

But the little dumpling still squatted on the ground with great interest, picked up a little clay figure wearing a blue dress, and then picked up a little clay figure wearing a red dress, comparing them for a long time.

"Sister Fufu, look at this little clay figure in the blue dress, doesn't it look like you? And this one in the red dress, doesn't it look like the moon?"

Lin Fuman squatted down and looked at the little red clay figures, which were round-headed and chubby, and did look somewhat like them.

She smiled and nodded: "Yes! This red one is just as cute as a little moon."

The little dumpling immediately looked up at Jiang Xiyue, hoping, "Mother, Yue'er wants to buy these two little clay figures, one for Sister Fufu and one for Yue'er. When Yue'er misses Sister Fufu, she can look at the little clay figures. And when Sister Fufu misses Yue'er, she can look at the little clay figures too."

Jiang Xiyue naturally nodded in agreement and paid the money.

The little dumpling immediately handed the clay figurine in the red dress to Lin Fuman, saying cautiously, "Sister Fufu, this is for you."

Lin Fuman took the little clay figure, examined it carefully, and then gently tucked it into her bosom. She even touched it carefully, as if afraid it would fall out: "Don't worry, Little Moon, I will keep it safe. Even when I sleep, I will put it next to my pillow so that I can see it every morning when I wake up, just like seeing you."

The little dumpling smiled sweetly upon hearing this, tucked her little clay figurine into her bosom, and, holding Lin Fuman's hand, continued walking forward.

There are also windmills for sale by the roadside. The colorful windmills spin around when the wind blows, making a crisp sound. They are both beautiful and fun.

The little girl stared intently at the windmill spinning, her eyes wide with delight: "Mommy, Yue'er wants that windmill, the colorful one, it looks so pretty when it spins!"

Jiang Xiyue bought two more windmills, one for Xiao Tuanzi and one for Lin Fuman.

The little dumpling held the windmill high in the air.

When the wind blows, the windmill starts to turn.

She ran happily, and the windmill spun even faster.

Lin Fuman also took the windmill and ran a few steps with the little dumpling, and the windmill started spinning.

The two children ran and laughed, the sound of the windmill turning mingling with their laughter, creating a lively atmosphere.

Jiang Xiyue followed behind, and seeing the two children's happy faces, her heart also felt light and cheerful.

After running for a while, both children were tired.

The little dumpling, panting, took Lin Fuman's hand and stopped to rest: "Sister Fufu, Yue'er is a little tired. Let's find a place to rest for a while."

Jiang Xiyue also said, "Yes, we've been running for so long, we should take a break. There seems to be a teahouse up ahead, let's go sit in the teahouse for a while and have some water."

"Okay, okay!"

The three of them went into the teahouse and found a seat by the window. The waiter came over and greeted them: "What would you like to order, gentlemen?"

Jiang Xiyue ordered a pot of fine tea and hot milk, along with several snacks.

The waiter quickly brought the food over. Jiang Xiyue poured two cups of hot milk and handed them to Lin Fuman and Xiao Tuanzi, adding, "Drink slowly, it's a bit hot. Blow on it before you drink."

Lin Fuman accepted the teacup: "Thank you, Madam."

The little dumpling took the teacup and puffed out its cheeks, blowing on it earnestly.

Jiang Xiyue pushed the tea and snacks to the two children: "Eat some quickly to replenish your energy. You must be hungry after running for so long."

The two children ate snacks and drank hot milk while chatting occasionally.

The little dumpling told Lin Fuman about things at home, about playing hide-and-seek and having a snowball fight.

Lin Fuman also told Xiao Tuanzi about things in town, such as which family's steamed buns were the most delicious, which family's food was the most affordable, and which family's pets were the cutest.

After resting for a quarter of an hour, both children had recovered.

The little dumpling held Lin Fuman's hand and said, "Sister Fufu, Yue'er wants to buy some things for Daddy, Big Brother, Second Brother, Grandpa, and Grandma so they can taste the delicious food in town."

"Great! There's a pastry shop up ahead. Their peach shortbread is delicious. Grandpa and Grandma will definitely love it. Let's go buy them two pounds."

The three of them got up again and headed towards the pastry shop.

The pastry shop had a wide variety of pastries, filling the entire room, and the aroma wafted far and wide.

The little dumpling was overwhelmed by all the delicious snacks.

Lin Fu smiled and introduced, "The peach shortbread is the most fragrant. Although the osmanthus cake is made with dried osmanthus flowers, it's still sweet. The mung bean cake is sweet but not cloying. And this little snack has sesame seeds inside..."

The little dumpling bit her finger, finding it even harder to make a decision.

Jiang Xiyue smiled and said, "Then let's buy a pound of each kind. Let's buy more so we can share them with our families when we get back, and let everyone try the pastries from town."

"That's right!" The little dumpling's eyes lit up. "Mommy is so smart!"

The pastry shop owner quickly wrapped up the pastries, filling a large bag to the brim.

Jiang Xiyue took the two children shopping again and bought some other things.

Before I knew it, it was afternoon.

The sun was already starting to set in the west.

Jiang Xiyue glanced at the sky: "It's getting late, we should head back."

The two children were tired from walking and agreed.

The three of them then headed towards Lin Fuman's house.

Jiang Xiyue walked in the middle, holding Xiao Tuanzi's hand in one hand and Lin Fuman's hand in the other.

The little dumpling's hands are soft and tender, like soft and bouncy tofu, and warm.

This made Lin Fuman's hands appear rather rough and thin.

Seeing that Lin Fuman's hands were still a little cold, Jiang Xiyue couldn't help but remind her, "Fufu, when you get back, make sure the charcoal fire is burning brightly. Don't be stingy with it; you can't get cold. If you run out of charcoal, just send someone to the manor to let them know, and I'll have someone send some over."

Lin Fu nodded and said gratefully, "Thank you, Madam."

Jiang Xiyue added, "As for food, don't eat too many pastries at once, as they can easily cause indigestion."

"If you want to eat something nice, but there's no meat or vegetables at home, go out to eat at a restaurant and have something good, like braised pork or chicken soup, to nourish your body."

"Don't worry about money. If you need more, just ask us."

“It’s not safe for a little kid like you to be out there. Let me arrange a few more servants for you.”

"You've made a great contribution this time, and we're truly grateful to you. Please don't stand on ceremony with us."

The little dumpling nodded in agreement, pulling Lin Fuman's hand: "Sister Fufu, if anyone bullies you, you must find Yue'er! Yue'er will ask your older brothers to help you; they're very capable!"

Listening to the mother and daughter's repeated words of advice, Lin Fu felt a lump in her throat, her eyes reddened, and tears welled up in them.

She quickly lowered her head, wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "I understand, thank you, Madam, thank you, Little Dumpling."

Jiang Xiyue noticed that something was wrong with her, so she slowed down and gently patted her back: "Do you miss your mother?"

Upon hearing this question, Lin Fuman could no longer hold back her tears, which fell down her cheeks.

She responded softly, "Yes, it's been a long time since I've seen my mother. Just now, when Madam was giving me some instructions, I remembered that my mother used to be like this too. Even though she was very busy, she still cared about me a lot."

The little girl quickly took out a handkerchief and wiped away her tears: "Sister Fufu, don't be sad."

Jiang Xiyue also comforted her, "Yes, a mother and daughter are connected at heart, she must be thinking of you too."

Lin Fu nodded and wiped away her tears.

Just as she was about to speak, she saw a figure standing not far ahead in front of her own door.