After all, he was a local, and he handled the lake excursion very well.
The so-called "doing a good job as a host" means understanding everything about the place thoroughly.
Ziqian chuckled, without a trace of arrogance. Instead, he truthfully shared what he knew: "I haven't been here long and don't know much about the lake tour. If I say anything wrong, please forgive me."
Baili Wanwan was taken aback, finding Ziqian's cluelessness rather endearing.
"Brother Ziqian, would you like something to eat? Since you're not from this town, how about Wanwan treats you to something?"
Before coming to the lake, Bailiwanwan had prepared candied hawthorns in advance, which were kept in a small paper bag and then placed in her baggage.
I originally planned to take the candied hawthorns back to eat and share some with Lin Yang'er.
It seems I'll have to buy it again when I go back.
Baili Wanwan's bundle on her back was bulging with food, which she generously spread out on the ground: "This is plum blossom cake, this is almonds, this is melon seeds, and this is osmanthus cake. There's also my secret-recipe honey wine. What would you like to eat?"
When it comes to food, Baili Wanwan is never stingy, but this is the first time she has been so generous, willing to share so much of her food with others.
"I don't want to eat anything," Ziqian refused, as he didn't like sweets.
However, Baili Wanwan thought that Ziqian didn't like her, and therefore didn't like the food she gave him.
"You don't like this delicious food? Or do you dislike Taiwanese people?"
She lowered her head, her face full of resentment and a hint of grievance.
She didn't know why, but usually a group of children followed her around. Now she was particularly fond of Ziqian, and felt that there was something about him that attracted her.
"How could I hate her? Who doesn't like pretty girls?" Ziqian felt helpless when he saw Baili Wanwan was about to cry. He hadn't done anything wrong.
"Why are you crying? I didn't do anything wrong." Ziqian raised his hand, wanting to pinch Baili Wanwan's little face, but was pushed away.
Turning my head, I saw it was Cao Chengye.
"What?" Ziqian did not back down, but instead remained calm and composed.
Protecting Baili Wanwan behind him, and forcibly packing up all the food on the ground, Cao Chengye picked up the small bundle.
"Little Wanwan, don't cry. What else do you want to eat? I'll buy it for you."
Seeing the bundle, Baili Wanwan stopped crying. She ate pastries while wiping away her tears.
Once on the boat, I found that the lake cruise was really boring.
The lake surface was covered with moss, indicating that it hadn't been cleaned for years. The lake was filthy and messy, and it was a huge waste of money to take a boat ride around it.
With this money, we'd be better off buying more food.
Baili Wanwan looked down at her small frame and felt that she was too thin and weak, so she pouted.
She sat in the painted boat, drowsy, propping her chin up with her hand, her head nodding slightly, almost falling to the ground.
"Look how cute that little girl is, she's drooling."
Someone started making joking noises, and Baili Wanwan wiped the drool away with her hand, then glared at the person.
The laughter stopped abruptly: "What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a cute girl drool before? You really have no taste."
Baili Wanwan was in a bad mood, so her words were naturally harsh.
Hearing Baili Wanwan's exasperation, Cao Chengye, who was not far away, turned around in surprise and asked with concern, "Wanwan, what's wrong?"
Baili Wanwan just shook her head, her heart still heavy.
She finally managed to be generous for once, only to be rejected. This was a disgrace to the mermaid.
The area was shrouded in shadow, and the only light shining into the pleasure boat was blocked by someone.
Baili Wanwan was even more anxious. She was about to speak when she looked up and saw Ziqian instead.
"Are you so sullen because I don't like the food you give me?"
Baili Wanwan awkwardly twisted her head and let out a cold snort.
She muttered under her breath, "No, I have a lot of friends. If you don't want to eat it, I can share it with them."
Ziqian squatted down in front of her and reached out to pat her little head.
"I don't hate you, it's just that I've never liked sweets since I was little. Give me your food so I can try some!"
Baili Wanwan's mood immediately improved. She raised her head, her face full of anticipation.
Baili Wanwan handed the candied hawthorn to Ziqian and said with her head down, "You can try a bite. If you don't like it, Wanwan won't force you."
What was originally just a simple little interaction took on a different meaning in Cao Chengye's eyes.
His hands clenched into fists inside his sleeves, and he gritted his teeth for a long time.
"If I find you bullying Wanwan again, get out of my house."
Cao Chengye wasn't a bad person, but he found that the girl he liked was being so nice to someone else and ignoring him.
As a result, it's inevitable to feel unbalanced.
"Even if you leave your house, you still need to ask the magistrate for permission."
Ziqian didn't feel embarrassed at all; he remained expressionless, seemingly devoid of any emotion.
“How could Father not listen to me? How could someone like you be worthy of living in our house? In the end, you’re just a distant relative who freeloads off us all the time. It’s disgusting.”
These were very harsh words, and everyone felt embarrassed for Ziqian, but Ziqian himself didn't think it was anything.
"random."
He sat down beside Bailiwanwan, staring calmly at the candied hawthorn for a long time before finally taking a bite.
Surprisingly, it was sweet and sour, and not as bad as they said.
"Hmm, not bad."
Under Baili Wanwan's expectant gaze, Ziqian said the words that Baili Wanwan had been waiting for.
Baili Wanwan gave him the other string as well.
With half the lake already swum, Cao Chengye was the most anxious.
He had always wanted to arrange a marriage between Baili Wanwan and his child, but he was rejected when he brought it up last time. So he thought he should cultivate their relationship now and make Baili Wanwan think he was good.
But Ziqian messed all of this up.
Cao Chengye inevitably harbored many grievances against Ziqian.
As soon as the boat reached the shore, Baili Wanwan jumped off and invited him to join her.
"The town is very lively today. Brother Ziqian, would you like to go for a walk with Wanwan? Wanwan can buy Brother Ziqian lots of candied hawthorns."
Baili Wanwan smiled broadly, though her tone was somewhat exaggerated.
Ziqian didn't care; on the contrary, he found Bailiwanwan even more adorable.
He didn't show his emotions, but simply nodded in agreement.
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