Before I knew it, I had arrived at the market and could see the bustling crowds and noisy sounds from afar.

As you get closer, you can see four rows of stalls stretching along the wide street, with almost no end in sight.

"Wow, there are so many people!" Mao Huizhu said, "It's much bigger than the market near my hometown."

Xiao Feng also watched with wide eyes. He had never seen such things in his life, but he kept Xia Wenyue's instructions in mind and ran back to hold Xia Mian's hand when there were many people around.

Chenchen was already attracted by the marshmallows on the outside, "Mom, uncle, marshmallows!"

Ning Shaoyun took him to the cotton candy stall.

Xia Wenyue and her family came here today for serious business. As agreed, Xia Mian, Ning Shaoyun and Ning Shaobai took Xiaofeng and Chenchen for a leisurely stroll and bought some small items; the big items were left to Xia Wenyue's family to buy.

Ning Shaobai looked at the cotton candy stall with a look of bitterness and hatred, scaring the owner so much that he didn't know what he had done wrong.

Xia Mian touched him and said, "Hey, come out and have some fun. What are you doing?"

Ning Shaoyun obviously knew the reason. She covered her mouth and laughed, "They're mysophobic. In the eyes of doctors, I guess nothing is clean except the operating room. They're most afraid of street vendors with a lot of traffic."

Xia Mian thought of his doctor aunt, shuddered, and advised, "Doctor Ning, it's not clean. It won't make you sick if you eat it. The human body needs some bacteria to increase antibodies, so that the body can be healthier."

Ning Shaobai raised an eyebrow, "You know all this."

Xia Mian raised her chin and said, "I've already said it, this fairy knows everything."

Ning Shaobai said expressionlessly, "Then do you know how to avoid so many people?"

Ning Shaoyun laughed, "He never liked to join in the fun since he was little. He only went to the market once, and it seems he never came again after that."

"I don't know how to avoid so many people," Xia Mian grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. "I only know how to blend in with so many people. When you encounter problems, you have to face them bravely. It's like bacteria. You can only produce antibodies after contact. Once you adapt, you won't feel anything."

Ning Shaobai: ...

I felt even more itchy all over. "Please stop talking. Please."

Xia Mian laughed out loud.

But later on, Xia Mian really didn't have time to argue with him.

The stalls are really full of variety, and the key is that there is no pattern in how they are arranged, so you never know what the next stall will sell.

They threw hoops, darts and popped balloons. Popping balloons was Xia Mian's game, but it was boring for her to play by herself, so she asked Ning Shaobai to compete with her.

As a result, this guy was full of disdain before playing, but was ruthless when he started. Fortunately, this situation was not too difficult for both of them, and they ended up in a draw.

Xiaofeng and Chenchen each got a stuffed toy, which made the two little guys very happy.

After that, they met someone who was blowing candy figures. Xiaofeng and Chenchen each made a candy figure. Xiaofeng's was a dragon and Chenchen's was a tiger. Both of them were very fond of this work that they personally participated in. They held it in their hands carefully for fear that someone would touch it.

Seeing Xiao Feng holding up his little arms to protect her carefully, Xia Mian simply picked him up. Seeing this, Chenchen also turned around and stretched out his arms to Ning Shaobai.

The group squeezed through the crowded crowd and saw a group of people gathered in the distance. From time to time, they could hear excited cheers.

It turned out to be a monkey trainer. Xia Mian squeezed in with Xiao Feng in his arms, and saw a man in the open space in the middle leading two little monkeys and giving various instructions. The little monkeys somersaulted and bowed to the crowd, imitated people walking, crossed their legs, and even fought with the monkey trainer, making everyone laugh.

Xiao Feng and Chen Chen had never seen it before. They stretched their necks to stare intently, clapping and laughing with the crowd from time to time.

Ning Shaobai only glanced at the monkey occasionally, and most of the time his eyes were looking around. Suddenly, his gaze fixed, and he handed Chenchen to Ning Shaoyun without any expression, and pulled Xia Mian and Xiao Feng, who were watching in a trance, to his side.

Xia Mian looked sideways, confused, and when he saw it was Ning Shaobai, he didn't take it seriously and continued to look back at the monkey riding the unicycle.

After a while, Ning Shaobai suddenly reached out and clamped an arm that was stretched out towards Xiaofeng. The owner of the arm was stunned for a moment, and looked at Ning Shaobai with a fierce light in his eyes.

Ning Shaobai didn't show any expression, but he quickly snatched the handkerchief from the other person's hand and pressed it against the other person's mouth and nose.

The man's eyes suddenly widened, then quickly softened. No one in the bustling crowd seemed to notice this scene.

However, Xia Mian noticed some movement and turned around, only to see Ning Shaobai supporting an ordinary-looking middle-aged man who looked like he was about to faint.

Xia Mian was stunned for a moment, then saw Ning Shaobai wink at her and show her the handkerchief in his hand.

Xia Mian reacted and realized that before coming out, Xia Wenyue had just explained to them that the reason why the "Pai Hua Zi" were called "Pai Hua Zi" was that those people could make children or women lose consciousness by waving handkerchiefs in front of them.

There was drugs on the handkerchief.

Xia Mian widened her eyes. Ning Shaobai saw that she understood what he meant, and looked at Ning Shaoyun again to stop Xia Mian from shouting.

Xia Mian blinked and immediately understood his thoughts. Ning Shaoyun had finally overcome her psychological trauma and brought Chenchen out. If she knew that they had encountered child traffickers again, she would probably never dare to go out again.

She nodded, then turned back to Ning Shaoyun and said, "Sister Ning, I'm a little tired. Let's go."

When Xiao Feng heard that Xia Mian was tired, he immediately struggled to get down. Xia Mian hugged him tightly and said, "There are too many people here. Let's go out and talk."

Xiao Feng then consciously hugged Xia Mian's neck tightly. Although Chenchen was reluctant to leave, he didn't say anything when he saw this.

Ning Shaoyun turned around and saw Ning Shaobai holding a man. She was stunned for a moment, "What happened?"

Ning Shaobai said, "Maybe it's because the crowd is too crowded and it's a little difficult to breathe. You guys go first, I'll give him some air."

Ning Shaoyun didn't suspect anything. Ning Shaobai was a doctor after all. Although he seemed difficult to get along with, he would still take care of patients when he met them.

There are many exciting things happening at the rally, and there are crowded people everywhere, so people passing by will not pay attention to such trivial matters.

When Xia Mian followed Ning Shaoyun away, he stepped on the beggar's foot and crushed it hard.

The man groaned in his coma, which scared Xia Mian.

Ning Shaobai quickly covered his mouth and nose with his handkerchief again and glared at Xia Mian speechlessly.

Seeing that Ning Shaoyun and Xiaofeng were about to look over, Xia Mian quickly carried Xiaofeng and ran out, "Let's go, let's go. I'm so hungry. Let's go eat."

Ning Shaoyun turned around and said, "Xiaobai, we'll wait for you at Yixiang Pavilion in Zhuyu Lane."

Because of what happened, Xia Mian no longer had the energy to look at anything strange. She was alert and vigilant around her. People like this usually have accomplices. Since Ning Shaobai was not around, she didn't dare to be careless.

Fortunately, they soon reached Pearl and Jade Lane.

Zhuyu Lane is a small alley next to the big market street. There is no stall set up there, so it is not as lively as outside. There are only some pedestrians taking a shortcut here.

Yixiang Pavilion is located at the end of the street. It is an ancient restaurant with screens with designs of plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, spring, summer, autumn and winter between the seats, which is very charming.

There were not many people in the restaurant at this time, so Ning Shaoyun and Xia Mian found a seat by the window.

Xia Mian looked out the window at this alley full of ancient style. Various beads and jades were displayed in front of each shop. "This is an antique street."

Ning Shaoyun said, "Yes, although this alley is small, it is one of the most reputable antique markets in Yan City. Many people come here to buy antiques."

Xiao Feng, who was playing with sugar figures with Chen Chen, heard the word "antique" and immediately looked up.

Ning Shaoyun was stunned by his look, but Xia Mian was the first to react. She smiled and pulled the child into her arms and rubbed him, "Baby, buying antiques and finding bargains is like buying lottery tickets. You have to be lucky. It doesn't work here. It's not us who find bargains, it's others who take our wallets."

Ning Shaoyun now understood what was going on, and said with a mixture of laughter and tears, "Xiao Feng remembers it so clearly."

Chenchen suddenly said, "Mom, I know about antique bargains, stock market limits, and old house demolitions..."

Xia Mian looked at Xiao Feng in surprise.

Xiao Feng pursed her lips and smiled innocently.

Xia Mian couldn't help but wipe his face. Well, not only did he remember it well himself, but he also taught others?!

Ning Shaoyun couldn't help laughing.

"Haha, so, the poorer you are, the more you like to dream."

This annoying sound...

Xia Mian turned around and saw that it was indeed Zhou Qianqian.

She followed the two young men and walked towards their seats with a smug look on her face.

"Second Young Master Ning, this is the Xia Mian I was telling you about." Zhou Qianqian introduced the young man in the lead attentively. "He relied on saving Chenchen's life and thought he had climbed onto the Ning family. He's very arrogant."

"She keeps saying things like 'Don't expect a favor in return, but never forget it when you receive it,' but she's actually asking the Huo family for half a million yuan. Aunt Hu hates her for asking for a favor, so when she doesn't give it, she sends Ning Shaobai to force Aunt Hu to sell the Huo family mansion to her."

She sighed and said, "Because of this incident, the relationship between the Ning family and the Huo family has become strained, and now Brother Xuewen is in a dilemma."

Xia Mian couldn't help but applaud her, "When it comes to the ability to distort the truth and frame others, Miss Zhou dares to claim to be the best. I'm afraid no one dares to say they are second!"

She didn't dare to tell Huo Xuewen and Ning Shaoyun that they were going to divorce. Xia Mian glanced at Chenchen, who had his eyes wide open, and didn't say much.

The man called Second Young Master Ning looked to be about twenty years old. He had a handsome face, a cold and arrogant temperament, and wore a straight shirt and trousers, which made him look very stylish. He always looked superior when he looked at people.

I think it is Ning Shaobai’s half-brother Ning Shaoyang.

Ning Shaoyang frowned slightly and looked at Ning Shaoyun, "Sister Yun, is what he said true? What happened between you and Brother Xuewen? Why are you here? Why didn't you go back to the old house to visit grandpa after returning from Ming City?"

"Ning Shaoyang." Ning Shaoyun said with a cold face, "Don't be so hypocritical here. Not to mention that you haven't become the head of the Ning family yet. Even if you did, it's not your turn to take charge of our affairs."

"As for why I didn't go back, don't you know? Do you want me to repeat to you the good things Fan Xiuzhi did?" Ning Shaoyun's eyes were sharp when talking about this.

Ning Shaoyang's face froze slightly. "Sister Yun, don't talk nonsense here. Chenchen's matter has nothing to do with my mother. Grandpa has already found out everything."

When Chenchen heard his name, he looked up in confusion, "Uncle Xiaoyang?"

Ning Shaoyang met the child's pure gaze, lowered his eyelids and said vaguely, "Anyway, that incident has nothing to do with my mother. You just misunderstood."

Ning Shaoyun didn't want to argue with Ning Shaoyang in front of Chenchen. Whether Ning Shaoyang knew about this matter or not, she would never let the culprit go.

The girl standing next to Ning Shaoyang asked in confusion, "What happened to my aunt? What kind of misunderstanding is this?"

At this point, she seemed to have thought of something, and sighed helplessly, "Sister Yun, you have married into the Huo family, and my aunt has barely seen Chenchen. How come everything is always blamed on her?"

This little girl looks pure and cute, and speaks in a soft and innocent tone, but her words are sharp and hurtful.

"Grandpa Ning is so strict in running the household. If my aunt had really made a mistake, Grandpa Ning might not have forgiven her. She's staying home well now, which shows that it's my aunt who's at fault."

In other words, this Fan Xiuzhi framed Ning Shaobai once, and colluded with human traffickers to kidnap Chenchen, but she actually stayed in the Ning family without any problem?

Xia Mian didn't know much about this matter, but she also knew that Ning Shaobai was following very closely at the time, and she didn't believe that the Ning family would not know about it.

The little girl in front of him continued, "Sister Yun, you are not resentful of my aunt and Grandpa Ning because Grandpa Ning said he would train Shaoyang to be the heir, right?"

"Sister Yun, everyone knows that Brother Bai is devoted to studying medicine and doesn't want to inherit the family business. That's why Grandpa Ning trained Shaoyang. Taking your anger out on the elders and deliberately provoking them is a bit..."

Xia Mian suddenly felt that she had been wrong to curse. When it came to the ability to confuse right and wrong and frame others, Zhou Qianqian was not even the best. The person in front of her was far better than her.

"Xiao Wan!" Ning Shaoyang, not knowing whether he felt guilty or concerned about the Ning family's reputation, stopped the girl and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Sister Yun didn't do it."

Zhou Qianqian said, "That's not necessarily true, Second Young Master Ning, you still don't know that Ning Shaobai came to the house and beat up Brother Xuewen, right?"

"He also forced the Huo family to sell the ancestral home for Xia Mian. I think they are just not convinced by Mr. Ning's arrangement of you as the heir. Knowing that the Ning and Huo families are at a critical juncture in their cooperation, they are deliberately making trouble to make things difficult for you."

Ning Shaoyang frowned, "Sister Yun, is what she said true? Did my eldest brother really beat my brother-in-law and force Uncle Huo to sell the old house?"

Zhou Qianqian snorted coldly, "It's not just the old house, they even said they want the whole row, including the three-story ancestral house. Now Xia Mian is already living in one of them."

Xia Mian felt that Zhou Qianqian might really look like Old Lady Huo. Her mind was not clear, so she couldn't help but remind her, "You sold my house secretly, didn't you? Your Uncle Huo doesn't know yet, so why are you spreading the news everywhere?"

"Who do you think will be the first to suffer if your Uncle Huo finds out about this? Old Madam Huo has already suffered bad luck because of you. If she gets implicated again, do you think she will still care about you in the future?"

Zhou Qianqian's face stiffened slightly. It was obvious that she was so busy wanting to take revenge on Ning Shaobai and Xia Mian, and take back the yard, that she forgot about Mrs. Huo's request to keep it secret.

Perhaps it was a matter of life and death, so Zhou Qianqian finally had a clue and said to Ning Shaoyang, "Second Young Master Ning, the reason I'm telling you this is because Ning Shaobai's stubborn behavior and his falling out with Uncle Huo might affect the cooperation between our two families."

"So I'd like to ask you or Grandpa Ning to privately resolve this matter while Uncle Huo still doesn't know. It's not too late to mend the situation."

"Stop using the Ning family's heir as a weapon," Xia Mian said, "Why do I have to buy that yard? Why did Dr. Ning say he wanted that row of yards? It's because you provoked us and bullied Sister Ning and Chenchen."

"It was just a momentary outburst of anger, but you insisted on causing trouble. Now that we've reached an agreement and the yard is bought, my anger has mostly subsided."

Xia Mian said politely, "But if you continue to make such a fuss, based on my understanding of Dr. Ning, even if he didn't want to buy it originally, he will probably buy it now."

Zhou Qianqian glanced at Ning Shaoyang and sneered at Xia Mian, "What a big tone! Who do you think Ning Shaobai is? He can buy whatever he wants? The real heir of the Ning family is here!"

At this point, he said proudly, "The Ning and Huo families are at a critical juncture in their cooperation. If Grandpa Ning knew that Ning Shaobai had fallen out with the Huo family because of you, Ning Shaobai himself would be in trouble. You can only wait to be beaten back to your original form!"

"You're doing all this just to get that yard back, aren't you? How about we make a bet?" Xia Mian crossed his arms and smiled, "Let's see if Dr. Ning can get that row of yards."

"I'll use the yard I live in now," Xia Mian said. "If he can't get that row of yards, I'll return that set of yards to him as it is. How about that?"

"You really trust me." A careless voice came.

Chenchen turned around and said happily, "Uncle!"

Ning Shaobai walked upstairs leisurely and knocked on the brim of Xia Mian's hat.

Zhou Qianqian immediately seized the opportunity and said, "Since Xia Mian wants to gamble, then I will accompany you to the end. How about it? Ning Shaobai, do you dare to gamble? If you can get that row of courtyards within two months, I, I... I will give you my apartment!"

"It even has a time limit." Xia Mian's eyes widened. "This is too despicable."

Zhou Qianqian thought she was scared and was feeling proud when she heard Xia Mian say to Ning Shaobai in an encouraging tone, "It's better to fight for your dignity than to make a profit. Doctor Ning, let's make a bet!"

Ning Shao rolled his eyes at her, then looked at Zhou Qianqian, "In that case, Miss Zhou, your bet must be substantial. Don't try to fool me with that little building of yours."

Zhou Qianqian frowned. She was reluctant to give up the building. Ning Shaobai seemed to know that she had nothing to offer, so he took out his cell phone and dialed.

"Mrs. Huo, you... uh, Ms. Zhou Qianqian is making a bet with me right now, saying that if I get the row of courtyards in your Huo family, I will make your secret public."

“…”

"Well, don't get excited. Didn't Xia Mian tell you a long time ago that she would teach her some manners? Since you didn't teach her and let her out to cause trouble everywhere, then it's not too much for you to bear the consequences, right?"

“…”

"It's only two months, so please keep a close eye on the property certificates and don't let Uncle Huo hear about this. If he knew, he might be happy to see it happen."

"After all, the Chengbei project has already started, and Assistant Huo seems to be taking it like a duck in water. All he needs is a title."

Zhou Qianqian looked at Ning Shaobai with her heart pounding. Could Aunt Hu's secret, what she heard yesterday, be true?

Ning Shaoyang frowned, "Brother, what are you going to do? We are at a critical juncture in our cooperation with the Huo family. Do you really have to cause trouble with Uncle Huo?"

"So," Ning Shaobai smiled at him, "keep it a secret until I get the yard. If your Uncle Huo doesn't know about it, your cooperation can still go forward. After two months, when the cooperation is finalized, even if I have a falling out with him, it won't affect you at all. After all, the Huo family won't go against money."

"But if your Uncle Huo knew now..." Ning Shaobai said, "then your first big project would be ruined!"

Xia Mian felt that this must be part of Ning Shaobai's plan. It would be best if Mr. Huo didn't know this news now. So after learning that Zhou Qianqian, the idiot, had leaked the news, he instantly seized the weaknesses of both parties and turned the enemy into his ally.

I can only say that she is worthy of being the big boss behind the scenes who protected the male protagonist in his previous life.