Chapter 4.04 His son couldn't possibly have a tacky aesthetic sense.
The next morning, Pei Yiyan took Xixi out to the appraisal agency.
Before setting off, to avoid unnecessary trouble, he made a three-point agreement with Xixi: she was not allowed to call him "Dad," she was not allowed to run around, and she was not allowed to cry.
Xi Xi reluctantly agreed, only because he was going to treat her to a fancy meal.
Today is Wednesday. Qiu Ming, who lives across the street, went to school early. Pei Yiyan left home just in time for the bus to arrive at the station, and then took a bumpy 40-minute ride to the city.
The once energetic child was now wilted like a wilted cabbage, the light in his eyes fading.
Luckily I hadn't eaten breakfast, otherwise I would have definitely thrown up.
In contrast, Pei Yiyan was completely normal, walking with a brisk pace. He glanced at Xixi out of the corner of his eye, and his cold voice revealed a barely perceptible lightness: "Not feeling well, are you?"
Nonsense, the little ginseng spirit looked up resentfully.
"What should we do then?"
Pei Yiyan's gaze was meaningful. See? He's very poor. You won't have a good life if you follow him. You can only take the bus when you go out.
Xi Xi didn't have time to understand the profound unspoken meaning in his words.
The little girl pointed to the breakfast cart and said, "Hungry, hungry, food."
The opponent's child doesn't play by the rules, and Pei Yiyan punches cotton: "Is that all you're aiming for?"
The father and daughter squatted by the roadside to eat breakfast and then went to the testing agency. Pei Yiyan paid twice as much for expedited processing, and the results would be available within three days.
It was still early, so Pei Yiyan led Xixi straight to the children's clothing store on the street. Today, she was dressed in a floral dress and sandals again.
His beggar outfit was too eye-catching in the dead of winter, and the staff at the appraisal center kept subtly probing him, which made him very unhappy.
His sour face made him look even more like a heartless child abuser, and the staff almost called the police.
The boy was sullen as he left the paternity testing agency. He had brought a thick cotton-padded coat that morning and wanted the child to wear it, but she refused, saying it looked ugly.
She was happy, and he turned into a child abuser.
A huge black pot fell from the sky. Pei Yiyan pinched the bridge of his nose in resentment, stared at the little girl's round head, and thought with a wicked sense of humor that he might as well just throw her away.
The girl is sweet-talking and knows how to get things done; she'll never have trouble finding a husband.
He lowered his eyes to consider the feasibility when a hoarse voice suddenly asked from beside him, "Hello, have you seen this child before?"
Pei Yiyan snapped out of his daze and saw a middle-aged woman standing in front of him. Her face was sallow and withered, and she was carrying a stack of papers. Her eyes were dim and broken.
His gaze was fixed on the stack of papers in the woman's arms; they looked like missing person notices.
[Zhang Huihui, female, from Sichuan Province, born in 2019, went missing at 10:00 AM on August 9, 2023, at the entrance of Longyun Residential Area. When she went missing, she had her hair in pigtails, was wearing a pink short-sleeved shirt, and blue flared pants.]
The missing person notice included two photos: a recent photo of the girl and a screenshot from CCTV footage of her disappearance on the day she went missing.
The golden time to find a missing child is within 24 hours. This girl named Zhang Huihui has been missing for more than a year, and it is most likely that she will not come back.
Pei Yiyan shook his head: "Never seen it."
The middle-aged woman's expression remained unchanged, as if she already knew the answer. She pulled a missing person poster from her bosom and handed it to him:
"This is my daughter. She's a very well-behaved and adorable child. I've been looking for her. If you happen to see her, could you please contact me? My husband and I have our contact numbers here. Thank you so much."
When her daughter was mentioned, her numb expression softened slightly, revealing a hint of tenderness.
"good."
Pei Yiyan folded the missing person poster neatly and put it in his pocket, watching the woman leave.
She continued to hold the missing person poster, slowly weaving through the crowd, handing out flyers printed with hope.
If a missing child is never found alive or dead, there is a high chance that they have been abducted by human traffickers to a remote and impoverished village. Influenced by the preference for sons over daughters, abducted boys are usually treated better than girls.
Pei Yiyan's mind conjured up images of disabled children begging on an overpass, but suddenly those children's faces changed to Xixi's.
"Daddy." A little hand tugged at him.
Pei Yiyan was slightly startled, but then lowered his head as if nothing had happened. The child beside him had clear, innocent eyes and was smiling foolishly at him.
"What are you looking at? What's wrong with that auntie? She seems really unhappy."
Pei Yiyan remained silent and calmly pulled out his sleeve.
He dusted himself off and casually raised an eyebrow: "Mind your own business. Have you forgotten our three rules? Don't you want a fancy meal?"
Xi Xi quickly lowered her head, pretending nothing was wrong: "No, no, no one heard me speaking so softly."
Pei Yiyan snorted and pinched her little pigtail: "Come on, let's go buy clothes first and then eat, so that I don't get dragged into the police station again."
"Xixi knows about oranges. Oranges are a kind of fruit, right? They taste sweet and sour!"
"Little savage."
When they arrived at the children's clothing store, dozens of neat rows of beautiful clothes dazzled Xixi, leaving her overwhelmed with choices.
Before the sales assistant could even begin to explain, the little girl was already overwhelmed by the choices, liking this and that!
"Dad, brother, can Xixi wear all of these?"
"You might as well just let me buy this store."
"Wow, really?" The child's eyes lit up instantly. "Then Xixi can wear a new dress every day!"
Pei Yiyan coldly replied, "Dream on."
Xi Xi's smile remained unchanged as she turned to comfort him generously, "It's alright. Xi Xi knows that your brother is poor and lives in a very small place. Don't worry, Xi Xi will earn money to support you when he grows up."
The sales assistant, who couldn't get a word in edgewise, almost burst out laughing.
Pei Yiyan's face flushed, and he urged with a stern expression, "Stop talking nonsense, pick three things you like, pay the bill, and let's go."
The sales assistant, hearing that there was a business opportunity, quickly followed up with a smile and recommendations.
Xi Xi has her own preferences, but her taste is questionable. She wears either overly pink dresses or shoes studded with a bunch of random rhinestones.
Pei Yiyan frowned as he watched her enthusiastically select three different colored but identical outfits.
Although he doesn't go shopping much, his fashion sense is remarkable, making him stand out from the crowd of stylish young men his age.
His son is unlikely to have a tacky aesthetic sense.
His disdain was palpable. No one knows a father better than his daughter, who complained indignantly about his coal-black sheets and blankets, asking if he was trying to be lazy and not change them.
When it comes to arguing with him, she's quick-witted and eloquent.
The ungrateful little savage, Pei Yiyan pressed his brow, not angry, the ugliness wouldn't affect him.
Finally, I bought Xixi three sweaters, two cotton-padded jackets, three pairs of cotton-padded trousers, two pairs of snow boots, and ten pairs of socks.
He entered the store as a little beggar, but came out transformed into a beautiful butterfly.
The bright and colorful outfits were like two completely different worlds compared to Pei Yiyan, who was dressed in all black.
The boy walked silently behind the child, his hands in his pockets, his furrowed brows so deep they could trap a fly.
Why are children's clothes more expensive than adults' clothes, even though they use less fabric?
Was he scammed?
The little dumpling in front hopped and skipped, its little tuft of hair bobbing happily.
Forget it, it's only three thousand yuan.
After buying the clothes, Pei Yiyan planned to take Xixi to the hair salon to cut her hair shorter so it would be easier to manage.
The act of tying her hair in the morning actually cured his obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The child's hair was fine, soft, and smooth, making it difficult to handle. No matter how many times we tried, it was always uneven, which wore him down.
Upon learning that she was going to get a haircut, the little girl, who loves to join in the fun, shook her head vigorously.
She covered her little tuft of hair and backed away repeatedly, saying, "No, no, Xixi can't have her hair cut, she can't have it cut."
Why not?
Our bodies, hair, and skin are gifts from our parents.
"It's okay, I don't mind." At this moment, Pei Yiyan was comfortable using his father's identity. "You can cut it."
"That won't work either. Xixi's hair is extremely useful."
Pei Yiyan scoffed, "Can it be exchanged for gold, or can it be used as a lifeline?"
“Yes, yes.” Xixi nodded confidently and praised with a smile, “Dad, you’ve become a little bit smarter.”
You think I'd believe you?
Xi Xi looked at him with affection: "Dad, you need to be more confident. You really are a little bit smarter than yesterday."
Pei Yiyan took a deep breath to calm himself down.
It's only three days, just bear with it and it will pass.
He coldly issued an ultimatum: "You don't have to cut your hair, but I won't braid it for you. You decide what to do."
The little girl bit her finger in frustration, then stomped her foot and haughtily tossed her head: "If you don't want to prick me, then don't! I'll prick myself!"
Pei Yiyan crossed his arms: "Fine, you've got guts. You'll regret this."
After spending a lot of time on the trip, it was lunchtime, and Pei Yiyan quickly browsed the nearby restaurants.
Xi Xi shouted loudly in my ear, "Fried chicken! Fried chicken!"
Pei Yiyan's hand trembled, and his phone almost flew out of his hand. He turned his head and saw Xixi staring at the huge advertising screen outside the mall with shining eyes.
A KFC advertisement was playing on the screen.
Just when he was about to fall asleep, Pei Yiyan simply said, "Let's go to KFC."
The KFC in the restaurant was packed with people, crowded and noisy, with many children running around and making a lot of noise.
Pei Yiyan disliked noise, so he immediately took Xixi out and said, "It's too noisy, let's go somewhere else."
Xi Xi asked longingly, "Can we eat fried chicken elsewhere?"
Pei Yiyan hasn't eaten KFC since he was five years old. Living alone for the past few years, he has been eating whatever is left in the refrigerator.
In my memory, fried chicken should be considered KFC's signature dish. As the leading fast food brand, no other fried chicken brand can compare with it.
"Let's buy a chicken and take it to go." Pei Yiyan said without hesitation, "Go inside and wait."
He sat down, scanned the QR code to order, and let the child watch what he was ordering.
The dazzling array of delicious food broadened Xixi's horizons. No wonder her mother used to like to sneak down the mountain to play; it turns out there were so many delicious foods down there.
Xixi can't read, so she just clicks on whichever picture looks most appetizing.
It was peak dining time at the restaurant, and food couldn't be served for a while, so Pei Yiyan took his phone and got up to go to the restroom.
Xi Xi lay on her seat, listlessly counting her fingers.
"Look, she keeps counting one, two, three, four, she looks like an idiot."
"Her parents don't seem to be around, let's go play a trick on her, hehe."
"Okay, okay."
After a brief whisper, three furtive figures approached Xixi from behind.
Caught off guard, Xixi's little tuft of hair was pulled hard, and she suddenly felt a sharp pain on her scalp.
She turned around in a daze and met three equally youthful but malicious faces.
Who are you?
"That's a question we should be asking you: Who are you?"
"I'm Xixi." Xixi stared at the chubby boy in the middle, realizing that he was the one who had done this to her, so she wrinkled her little nose and said, "Why did you pull my pigtail just now?"
"I thought you were an idiot, but it turns out you're not. So why are you muttering to yourself?"
Xi Xi puffed out her cheeks: "I'm counting! I can count from one to one hundred. Can you?"
The chubby boy and his two accomplices: "?"
"It's just knowing how to count, what's so great about that?" the chubby boy insisted. "Of course I can."
Xi Xi: "What comes after 51, 52, 53?"
The chubby boy choked, scratched his head, and stammered, "Yes, yes..."
He looked to the two equally bewildered people for help: "What is it? Tell me quickly!"
"Huh, us?" They looked at each other, one of them forcing a smile, "5...58?"
Xi Xi was taken aback, her almond-shaped eyes crinkling as she laughed crisply: "So it turns out you three are the real idiots, you can't even count from one to one hundred, how shameful!"
The three children's faces all turned red.
The chubby boy got angry: "You insulted me, believe me or not I'll hit you!"
Xi Xi jumped off the chair, not afraid at all: "If you dare to hit me, I'll hit you back, I'll beat you until you're utterly defeated. My hits really hurt!"
Xi Xi is a tiny little bundle, like a chubby little cream puff, with rosy cheeks. She doesn't look like a bully at all.
The chubby boy wasn't scared at all. He swung his fist and went up, but before his fist could even touch the other person, he was punched back.
The chubby boy fell flat on his backside, looking completely incredulous.
His companion's eyes widened in disbelief. No, wait, how could someone with his massive build be no match for a little girl?!
Feeling humiliated, the chubby boy angrily charged forward again, only to be punched once more.
"Oh, Grandma!"
A boy's heart-wrenching cries echoed from inside the KFC.
The tall, burly boy was rolling around on the ground, a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. Hearing the commotion, the boy's grandmother rushed over in a panic.
"What's wrong? What's wrong? Who bullied your dear grandson?"
"Ouch, who the hell beat my grandson like this! Who was it?!"
The chubby boy hugged the old lady, crying his eyes out, and pointed at Xixi, saying, "Grandma, it was her, she hit me, boohoo."
The old lady's murderous gaze instantly turned to Xixi.
Xi Xi's heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but take two steps back.
Isn't this a classic case of the guilty party accusing the innocent first? He was the one who pulled her little pigtail first, called her an idiot, and even tried to hit her. She was just fighting back.
How can a little kid like him lie through his teeth?
As if adding fuel to the fire, the boy spat out two mouthfuls of blood, his face deathly pale, and cried out, "Grandma, I'm spitting blood! Am I going to die?!"
The old lady was terrified, crying out in distress while cursing the innocent Xixi.
Her fierce appearance scared away the two chubby boys, leaving Xixi alone to face the old lady who was unleashing her full power.
"You brat, where are your parents? You beat my precious grandson like this, I have to ask them how they raised their child!" He said, and was about to grab her.
Xi Xi nimbly dodged aside: "He hit me first, and he even cursed at me. Why don't you curse at him too?"
"You ill-mannered brat, you dare to argue! Don't run away, stop right there!"
The old lady chased after Xixi while cursing angrily, but the little girl ran as fast as a rabbit and quickly widened the distance between them.
"Who are you calling a brat?"
A tall, aloof young man suddenly appeared in front of them, with neat short hair and gentle, jade-like features. However, the coldness and darkness in his eyes were so intense that they seemed to overflow, sending chills down one's spine.
Xi Xi's eyes lit up, her joy at seeing a savior evident.
Pei Yiyan caught the little girl who was rushing towards him; the little girl who hugged his neck was both childish and full of spirit.
"Dad, someone is bullying me!"
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