Chapter 208 Staying for a while
Everyone present was smart enough to understand the rules of the game after hearing it once. Uncle Zhang, who was delivering fruits and snacks, was pulled in to be the host. In the first round, everyone except Li Chen drew the 'face' card, while he drew the 'butt' card.
Bai Ye: "You need to apply face cream in winter!"
Jiang Chao: "White, yellow, and black—they exist all over the world!"
Jiang An: "It's soft, and it feels really nice to poke!"
Yunxia: "Whether it's good or bad, you can tell at a glance!"
Li Chen: ...I think I know who the undercover agent is!
Li Chen: "Every time I go out, I have to put a lot of stuff on it!"
...
Without a doubt, the undercover agent won this round. After Yunxia found out that Li Chen was the undercover agent, she asked him a soul-searching question, "Tell me, what kind of butt do you put stuff on every day? And why does it turn red as soon as you get a fever? And you can't get it burned or exposed to the sun?"
Li Chen retreated several steps, landing on the sofa. He hugged a cushion and blinked his innocent big eyes. "Well, you guys revealed yourselves too early. You only heard the people who spoke before and guessed it was 'Face'. Isn't it normal for you to have kept it hidden until now?"
"Heh, you're finished. I've got my eye on you. You're definitely going to lose the next round!"
After uttering those harsh words and unleashing his signature glare, he turned and returned to his original position.
Whether it was luck or bad luck, in the next few rounds, Li Chen drew the undercover card. After each round of speeches, Yun Xia would relentlessly harp on him, even if there was nothing wrong with his speech, she would still make up some nonsense about him being an undercover agent.
The girl, who was like the darling of the group, would get everyone to vote as soon as she spoke to solicit votes. When Uncle Zhang announced with a smile that the undercover operation had failed, everyone's eyes widened.
The group of people, exhausted from playing, slumped onto the sofa without any regard for their image. The three cats, tired from chasing each other, jumped into their owners' laps one after another, curled up in a ball, and fell fast asleep.
"Yunxia, you're so lucky! You always manage to guess that I'm an undercover agent!" Li Chen, who had never felt so defeated in his life, exclaimed.
"You're just unlucky, always drawing the undercover card. Maybe... it's Uncle Zhang's fault!"
Uncle Zhang, who was cutting a watermelon, was suddenly stared at by several people. He put down his cleaver and said seriously, "There's no trickery in drawing cards. It's all based on luck. Don't you believe me?"
Having received professional training, their aura was indeed different. Upon hearing this, the senior high school classmates shook their heads in perfect unison. After finishing the watermelon, it was almost time, and Yunxia and the others reluctantly led the two cats away.
When she got home, Aunt Wu pulled her aside and asked repeatedly if her lower back still hurt. Yunxia shook her head and jumped around several times to show that she was fine. Only then did Aunt Wu feel much relieved.
After dinner, a light rain began to fall, and then suddenly it started to pour down in the night. The girl snuggled in her soft blankets, listening to the patter of the rain against the window, feeling incredibly content. She thought to herself that rainy days are indeed the perfect time to sleep!
In the other bedroom, Jiang An used pet-specific wet wipes to wipe away the dust from the two cats, dried them slightly, and then carried them to bed. The familiar scent reassured Xiao Bai, and Xiao Hei continued to lick its fur, and Xiao Bai fell asleep without realizing it.
Inside the villa, all was peaceful, with everyone lying in comfortable, warm beds. Gao Rui, however, was not so lucky. Afraid of being exposed for the theft, she bought a ticket to return to her hometown overnight—a standing ticket, of course. But she encountered heavy snow along the way, and the train stopped halfway. With no village or shop in sight, she could only squeeze into a cramped, poorly ventilated toilet.
At this moment, she deeply regretted her recent actions and kept complaining that the Jiang family was disturbing her life. If she could have been more patient and waited for an opportunity to find something to hold against the Jiang family and drive them away, wouldn't she and Bai Jie have been able to return to the way things were before?
Unfortunately, there's no going back in life, and the Jiang family won't make the grave mistake they spoke of.
"Move aside, move to the side. Can't you see how many people there are? Can't you be more considerate?"
The woman who was speaking had a face full of scars and a burly figure. She kept spewing out a string of foul words. Gao Rui couldn't out-argue or fight back, so she could only press herself a little closer. The biting coldness spread from her back to her whole body, making her teeth chatter. But who could she blame?
Having worked for the Bai family for many years, their wages were never withheld. Logically, with food and lodging provided, they should have accumulated a considerable amount of private wealth. However, they were a "brother-supporting demon," meaning that if their sister-in-law cried, their entire fortune would be wiped out.
Gao Rui's current situation was neither of their concern nor their concern, as the few people sleeping soundly in the villa were far away. The next morning, the sun was shining brightly, and the girl woke up slowly. After rubbing her eyes, she looked at the reflective glass window.
Behind the window was an orchard. Even in the depths of winter, several kumquat trees stood tall and resilient. After getting dressed and obtaining Bai Jie's permission, I picked one and tasted it.
"Does it taste sour?" After a heavy rain, the temperature suddenly dropped to another low. Jiang Chao, wearing a thick cotton-padded coat, asked quietly.
Yunxia turned her head at the sound, a sweet smile on her face, a drop of orange-yellow kumquat juice still hanging from the corner of her mouth. "It's sweet and sour, quite sweet. Maybe it's a niche variety. Would you like to try some?"
Jiang Chao narrowed his eyes, examining the juicy kumquat dripping from his slender fingers. Finally, he raised an eyebrow, took the kumquat, broke off a segment, and popped it directly into his mouth.
"Brother, is it sour?"
"Not sour at all, no need to buy oranges for the New Year. Oh, wait, with your and Yunxia's greed, there won't be a single orange left in a few days!"
"Nonsense, that's impossible!"
The little boy looked at the kumquat tree with anticipation and desire. He took the kumquat segment handed to him by his older brother and stuffed it directly into his mouth. The next second, the sourness made his face contort!
"Sour, so sour! You...you...you're lying!"
After saying that, she ran back into the house crying, gulped down a large glass of warm milk, and then complained to her mother about her brother and sister's unkind behavior.
"Alright, every kumquat is sour. You should learn to be more discerning, otherwise... you'll keep getting tricked by them."
The eldest son is the sly and mischievous type, always wearing a stern face, and no one knows what he's thinking. Yunxia, on the other hand, is the smiling type, always greeting people with a smile, but she's also a very good actress, and no one can be sure what she's thinking.
Only the youngest son wears his emotions on his face; you can tell at a glance who he hates, who he likes, who he's angry about, who he's happy about, or who he's sad about.
Seeking comfort after being scolded, Jiang An turned to Bai Jie and said in a soft, sweet voice, "Uncle Bai, my brother and sister are mean. Please tell them off."
Bai Jie rubbed his head and said with a smile, "Don't take it seriously, they're just joking with you. Besides, they ate the sour kumquats too, didn't they? Brothers and sisters should share happiness and hardship together, right?"
Jiang An, successfully persuaded, nodded and ran back to the backyard, where he played around with them again. At noon, Bai Jie suggested going to the amusement park, but the three people present were long past the age of enjoying playing games. They said they didn't need to go shopping for clothes, and they didn't want to be crowded with people when they went to a hotel for a big meal, knowing that everywhere would be packed during the New Year's Day holiday.
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