Although Qionglin City was bustling with activity, once you left the central business district on both sides of the Luoyang River, the number of pedestrians on the streets gradually decreased.
Cheng Ruyi had previously told Xu Cui to take the children back to the inn to rest, firstly to guard against any unexpected events, and secondly because such a matter did not require the whole family to be involved. Therefore, only she and Cheng Yan accompanied the middle-aged man home.
But I didn’t expect that it would take more than 45 minutes to walk. Is this what you call “not far”?
If she hadn't realized that the middle-aged man wasn't leading them to a secluded place, she would have turned around and gone straight to the government office.
Of course, the main reason is that the doll in my hand just gets heavier and heavier the longer I hold it...
Cheng Ruyi sized up the middle-aged man leading the way. His back looked quite strong, and he seemed to know some martial arts. She wondered if his family members were as strong as him. To be honest, she felt that it would be really difficult for an ordinary person to lift this round and chubby baby!
"We're here! That house with the red lanterns hanging up ahead is our home!"
The middle-aged man turned to the Cheng family father and daughter and spoke in a simple and honest manner, while also smiling broadly.
To be honest, Cheng Ruyi found his inexplicably friendly attitude a bit strange. Could it be that everyone in the prefecture city was so warm and enthusiastic?
Upon hearing this, both members of the Cheng family looked up at the house in front of them.
It was a small and quaint brick house with tiled roof. It looked a bit old, but it was well maintained. Various bottles, jars and sundries were piled up at the front door, but they were all kept clean and did not look messy. Instead, it was full of life.
Cheng Ruyi noticed a very cute wooden "He" character hanging on the stone wall next to the gate, and asked, "Brother, is your surname He?"
"Yes! How did you guess, madam? Oh dear, I forgot to introduce myself!"
As the middle-aged man knocked on the door, he said cheerfully, "My name is He Zheng, and I work in the government office, hahaha!"
Surprisingly, it turns out that the person actually works in the government office. If they dare to say that, they must not be a human trafficker, right? There's no reason why someone would dare to stage an accident involving a government official, is there?
The door was quickly flung open, and before anyone could react, a deafening roar erupted from inside: "He Zheng! Where have you been?! You were supposed to be putting your daughter to sleep! Why didn't you just come back tomorrow morning?!"
No sooner said than done! As the door opened, a thick rolling pin came crashing down on him!
He Zheng remained completely calm, his head tilting away as if he had practiced it countless times. Then, he easily grasped the rolling pin and coaxed in a low voice, "Wife! Stop fooling around, we have guests!"
"Who are you kidding? How could there be anyone here so late at night..." The door was suddenly flung open, and a rather plump woman stood there with her hands on her hips, looking furious. Her mouth was wide open in surprise when she saw the two members of the Cheng family outside the door, and she forgot to close it.
The two members of the Cheng family were also somewhat surprised, because the woman in front of them was a completely enlarged version of the round and chubby baby in Cheng Ruyi's arms. No one would believe that they were not mother and daughter!
"Mother! Is Father back?"
"Dad! Why are you back so late? The braised pork knuckle Mom cooked is getting cold!"
"Daddy~~ Hug me~~"
Looking at the three equally chubby children rushing out of the main room, Cheng Ruyi deeply admired the family's genes. Indeed, like attracts like!
The family's size was truly impressive when they stood together, so much so that the Cheng father and daughter forgot what they were supposed to do while standing at the door.
While comforting his wife and children, He Zheng waved to them, saying, "Gentlemen, thank you for bringing Xiuxiu back. Why don't you come in and sit down? Don't worry, there's no curfew in the city. I'll take you back to the inn when you leave! It's not far anyway! Hahaha~~"
Coming to her senses, Cheng Ruyi stepped forward, handed the doll in her arms to the woman, and said, "Brother He, you're too kind. It was just a small favor. It's getting late, so we won't bother you any longer. Farewell!"
She had only come along because she was worried that the other person wasn't the baby's biological father. Now that she was 100% sure they were family, there was no need for her to stay any longer. She wanted to take advantage of the shop being open to explore the city some more!
"Hey! Little sister, don't be shy! Your sister-in-law is a great cook. She just finished making some late-night snacks. Come on in and have a taste!"
Seeing that He Zheng couldn't persuade Cheng Ruyi, he had no choice but to change his target: "Sir, would you like to come in and sit down? My parents are about your age. It's fate that we've met. Why don't you all get to know each other?"
Cheng Ruyi found it increasingly strange. What was wrong with this person? Why did he insist on letting them into the house?
Although his home and family didn't seem like scammers, it was hard to understand why he was so eager to let strangers into his home. What was he trying to do?
Cheng Ruyi immediately became alert!
However, Cheng Yan did not find anything wrong with it after hearing this. Instead, he nodded and accepted the invitation, saying, "Well, speaking of which, I'm a little tired from walking. I'll have to bother you then!"
Hmm? Something's strange!
Cheng Ruyi suddenly felt that things seemed to be taking an unpredictable turn? Come to think of it, her father's behavior had been strange from the very beginning...
However, since Cheng Yan had spoken, she couldn't very well refute him. She was also very curious about what would happen next, so the group walked through the front yard and into the main room.
"Please have a seat, both of you. My parents are in the backyard. I've sent my wife to fetch them. Please rest for a while, have some tea and some candied fruit. These candied fruits were all made by my wife herself. Her candied fruit shop is one of the most famous in the city!"
While pondering He Zheng's purpose, Cheng Ruyi carefully examined the candied fruit on the plate.
This is a popular candied fruit called plum ginger. Although it doesn't look particularly appealing, it smells incredibly sweet and enticing, suggesting it's a budget-friendly option sold to locals.
The daughter of the candied fruit shop also fattened up her family with candied fruit after getting married, which sounds quite wonderful.
She also noticed that the table in the middle of the main room was filled with all kinds of food, all of which were meat and staple foods, with not a single vegetable.
In the middle was a huge plate of steaming hot roasted pork knuckle, and it was definitely past dinner time, so could this be... a midnight snack?
Cheng Ruyi was still pondering how many calories were in this food and whether this family would develop diabetes or high cholesterol if they ate like this when she suddenly saw He Zheng stand up across from her, quickly walk to the door of the main room, and help an old woman carefully walk in and sit down.
"Father, Mother! Look, we have guests..." He Zheng was speaking when he suddenly turned to the Cheng father and daughter and asked, "Ah! Excuse me, I forgot to ask you two... how should we address you?"
The light in the main room wasn't very bright, and Cheng Ruyi didn't get a good look at the elderly couple. She had just stood up to greet them when she heard He Zheng's question, so she instinctively replied, "Brother He, our surname is Cheng, and this is my father, his given name is Yan..."
Clang!
Before Cheng Ruyi could finish speaking, the old woman opposite her suddenly stood up excitedly, accidentally dropping her teacup to the ground, shattering it into pieces.
She took a few shaky steps toward them, then stared at the Cheng father and daughter for a long time before her eyes slowly reddened. With an excited expression, she said to Cheng Yan, "Second Brother... is that you?"
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