Chapter 97 Visiting Mr. Nie's Home

It's polite to arrange a time before visiting a friend's house to avoid making a wasted trip.

Lou Hongjian accompanied his sister on the phone.

He held the microphone for his sister, watching as Mao Mao's short fingers dialed the phone repeatedly.

This was Mao Mao's first time making a phone call. After dialing the number, she looked up at her brother with a pleading expression, unsure if she had done it right.

Before Lou Hongjian could answer, the phone beeped and the call was connected.

"Hello?"

A cold male voice came from the other end of the phone.

Mao Mao immediately shouted loudly into the microphone, "Uncle!" as if she wanted to use her voice to carry her voice across most of Haicheng.

"Uncle, it's me, Mao Mao!"

"Uncle, can you hear my voice?"

"Uncle, I'm calling you!"

Mao Mao excitedly hugged the microphone and chattered away. Lou Hongjian covered his ears, and after a long while, when she stopped, Nie Zhengyun's smiling voice came from the microphone: "I heard you, Miss Lou."

"It's me! It's me!"

"Why did Miss Lou decide to call me?"

"Uncle, I'll play the harmonica for you."

Mao Mao held up the microphone, asking her brother to hold it for her. Then, using her distinctive accent, she puffed out her cheeks and brought the microphone close, making a "plop-plop-plop" sound.

She puffed for a while before stopping, panting, and then brought her little ear close to the microphone.

"It sounds really good," Nie Zhengyun praised over the phone.

oops!

Mao Mao's little tuft of hair stood up and swayed happily, she was so happy to be praised.

Nie Zhengyun: "Miss Lou, have you agreed to come to my house as a guest?"

"hold head high!"

"And there's more! And there's more!" Mao Mao said excitedly, "Uncle, my brother wants to go too. Can he come with me?"

Lou Hongjian thought to himself: He doesn't want to go.

"I, Nie, am ready to serve you at any time," Nie Zhengyun said with a smile.

...

When visiting a friend's house for the first time, you need to prepare a gift.

Mao Mao was holding a large gift box with a bow tied on it.

She treasured it so much that when the car braked and came to a stop, she would lean forward due to inertia and make sure to hold the gift steady first.

Lou Hongjian carried her out of the car.

Unlike the European-style mansion of the Marshal's Mansion, Nie Zhengyun's residence was an antique-style courtyard house. It is said that it was once the ancestral home of a wealthy family, and there were two stone lions guarding the gate.

As autumn arrives in Haicheng, the greenery diminishes, the trees stand bare, and the artificial rocks appear cold and hard, highlighting the chill within the courtyard.

As Lou Hongjian accompanied his sister inside, his heart pounded with anxiety.

Of course, he wasn't afraid of Nie Zhengyun. They had brought guards with them today, so even if it was a trap, they could still break through.

But then again, is he really going to have dinner with that leader of the Green Gang today? Just thinking about it makes my stomach hurt.

Nie Zhengyun's ability to make a name for himself in Haicheng, consolidate his power in the city's underworld, and rise to the top position suggests his hands are far from clean. His reputation is even worse than that of Commander Lou. Lou Hongjian isn't afraid of him, but he's also somewhat intimidated by him.

It would have been fine if it were my eldest brother or second brother, or even Ah Sui—Ah Sui is fine—why did it have to be him?

Muttering to themselves all the way, they entered the main room led by a servant. The wooden threshold was a bit high, and Mao Mao lifted her foot high and stomped over it in one go.

When I looked up, the first thing I saw was not Nie Zhengyun, who had been waiting for a long time, but a Buddha statue.

The incense burner in front of the Buddha statue still held some ash, and the faint scent of sandalwood lingered in the room. The elderly lady in the family also worshipped Buddha and had a Guanyin statue in her room. Seeing such familiar decorations in an unfamiliar place felt especially comforting.

However, pairing a kind-faced Buddha statue with a ruthless gangster boss would seem extremely incongruous.

Nie Zhengyun was still wearing an old-fashioned long gown, and his body was covered with a faint sandalwood scent.

Although it was a similar outfit to my usual attire, the style was more relaxed and casual since I was at home, as if I were entertaining a close friend.

He nodded to Lou Hongjian first: "Third Young Master Lou."

Lou Hongjian's face was tense: "Mr. Nie, I'm sorry to bother you."

"I am most pleased to welcome the Third Young Master."

"Miss Lou." Nie Zhengyun smiled gently as he lowered his head to look at the young girl in front of him. "Welcome to my home."

Mao Mao greeted him happily, "Uncle!"

She held up the gifts she had been carrying all the way: "Here you go!"

"oh?"

Nie Zhengyun exclaimed in surprise: "A gift for me?"

"Uh-huh!"

Can I disassemble it?

"Sure."

Lou Hongjian's eyelids twitched.

He watched Mao Mao choose this gift himself.

He originally wanted to persuade Mao Mao to change to another one, but Mao Mao was adamant.

The carefully tied bow was untied, revealing the box inside.

A wind-up toy train purchased from a department store; the kind where you wind it up and the wheels run.

It's about the size of two palms and is marketed to children under eight years old.

Nie Zhengyun: "..."

The subordinate standing nearby: "..."

Lou Hongjian: "..."

Mao Mao tilted her little head up, her eyes sparkling: "Uncle, do you like it?"

Nie Zhengyun remained expressionless: "Yes, I like it very much."

Mao Mao said happily, "Uncle, this is so much fun! It's just like when we chase frogs, the car runs in front and you can chase after it."

Lou Hongjian: "..."

The subordinate standing nearby: "..."

Nie Zhengyun: "...Hmm."