Chapter 20: A Heart That Remains Calm and Unperturbed

The milk dumpling was immersed in the sweet taste and didn't pay attention to anything else.

Mrs. Lin was obsessed with playing with her baby and also didn't see anything.

Naituanzi ate half a cake by herself. Mrs. Lin was afraid that she would feel full, so she wrapped up the remaining half and wiped her little face carefully with a towel. Then she carried her around and explained to her as they walked: "This shop sells the four treasures of the study. The four treasures of the study are the things used by scholars, such as pens, inkstones, and paper."

Xinbao nodded.

Mrs. Lin talked all the way until they arrived at the clothing store. She went in and bought a set of clothes for her husband and son. She wanted to buy a little skirt for Xinbao, but her little bun head shook like a rattle.

She didn't want to wear this kind of skirt. How could she go up the mountain to collect herbs with such a long skirt? It would delay her career! Madam Lin smiled helplessly and said, "What does Xinbao want to wear?"

Without hesitation, the little girl pointed at an adult's double-breasted armor and said, "This! So impressive!"

Madam Lin: “…”

The owner of the clothing store smiled and tried to smooth things over. "The child runs outside every day, and I'm afraid she'll trip if she wears a skirt. Why don't you take a look at ours, a small jacket with a slanted collar and floral pants. It's cool, flexible, and dirt-resistant..."

Many children in the city like to buy this kind of thing. The boss saw that she was dressed ordinary and thought she might not buy it, so he just talked about it casually. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Lin liked it at first sight. Seeing that Naituanzi also liked it, she immediately bought two sets.

Moreover, she was not like the ordinary villagers who bought big clothes in the hope of wearing them for many years. The clothes she bought were very suitable for the little girl's size. When she tried them on, they made her look even more delicate and her black eyes looked as sparkling as glass beads.

Even the owner of the clothing store was impressed by her cuteness and gave her a pair of small shoes.

The shoes were not cheap, and Madam Lin thanked the boss repeatedly. The boss smiled and said, "You're welcome. I'm happy to see such a pretty baby wearing the shoes I made for her. If someone asks about them when they wear them, just mention my shop."

Mrs. Lin agreed with a smile.

The shoes on Naituanzi's feet were not ugly, but she lay in bed every day at that time, and she wore soft-soled shoes. The soles were almost worn out in the past few days. Madam Lin directly put new shoes on her. Naituanzi got down from the bed by herself and took a few steps with her short legs.

Mrs. Lin watched with a smile as she folded the clothes into the basket one by one.

Seeing that the little girl was walking unsteadily, Mrs. Lin slung a large basket over one shoulder, bent down and took her little hand: "Don't be afraid, the road here is flat, walk boldly."

As she was speaking, she felt someone approaching from behind. Mrs. Lin instinctively moved aside and felt someone brushing against her buttocks.

Madam Lin frowned and turned around, only to see a big man with a face full of flesh, smiling at her in a lewd way.

Mrs. Lin's face darkened.

But he gritted his teeth and decided not to do anything. He put the basket on his shoulder, squatted down, picked up his daughter and left.

The mother and daughter bought some soapberry cream and food, as well as a large bathtub that the whole family could use, and a large wooden basin and asked the store to deliver it to their home immediately.

When they had almost finished buying everything, Mrs. Lin squatted down, patted the soles of Naituanzi's shoes, and put her back into the basket.

The basket was already half full of things. With something to prop his feet up, he could show his eyes when he stood up. However, it was too soft and he couldn't stand steadily. After falling over twice, Xinbao cleverly sat still and peeked out through the crack of the basket.

Mrs. Lin also bought a slab of pork ribs, tied them with a rope, and held them in her hand. She would use them to prepare the opening wine banquet later... With a meat dish, the banquet would be considered decent. Seeing the jar of wine next to it, Mrs. Lin hesitated and asked again.

When she heard that the cheapest muddy wine cost two cents a jar, Madam Lin hesitated for a long time, but still couldn't bear to buy it, so she said to Naituanzi, "Xinbao, shall we go back?"

The milk ball responded softly: "Okay!"

So Mrs. Lin turned back.

The little kid sat in the basket, looking for a bigger gap, looking here and there, enjoying himself very much.

The town was very lively and interesting, but it became quiet once you got out of the city gate. Only the occasional vegetable farmer was pushing a cart home on the road. There was a big man with a face full of flesh, walking slowly behind.

The two sides were not close to each other, but there were so few people on the road that this person stood out.

Naituanzi's eyes kept meeting this person's, and she was a little scared, so she complained to Madam Lin: "Mother, there's a tall, dark and fierce guy behind us, and he's always looking at Xinbao."

Mrs. Lin burst out laughing, thinking that her daughter's use of these three words was simply wonderful. Isn't he a tall, black and fierce man? Without turning around, she asked her daughter very leisurely: "Really? What color clothes does Gao Heixiong wear?"

The little boy laid his whole face on the crack and looked at it carefully for a long time: "It looks like... Pipi who ate meat yesterday."

Mrs. Lin understood perfectly. "It looks like the skin of a bamboo rat, black, right?"

"Well," Milk Ball continued to report accurately: "A leather belt around his waist with a knife hanging from it, a paper bag in one hand and a large jar in the other."

Mrs. Lin's voice suddenly became excited: "Xinbaoer, is he really carrying a jar?"

"That's right," Milk Ball nodded vigorously in the basket: "Two big jars."

"Two?" Madam Lin was even more excited: "Xinbaoer, take another look, are there any stickers on the jar?"

"Yes," said Milk Ball, "I pasted a square piece of red paper with black words on it."

Madam Lin laughed out loud: "Xinbaoer is awesome! You saw it so clearly, you helped me a lot!"

There is no wrong version in the 1619 book forum!

Xinbao hid in the basket and smiled shyly.

Although she is already a mature adult and is not easily surprised by praise or criticism, she is still very happy when her mother praises her.

So she continued to report: "Gao Heixiong is still following us!"

"Gao Heixiong is laughing."

"Mother, he's getting closer!" The mature Xinbao boss' voice changed, and he was a little scared after realizing it: "Mother, let's run!"

Madam Lin responded, "It's okay, don't be afraid, I'm here."

Xinbao was extremely nervous. He held onto the basket with his little hands and stared at Gao Hexiong.

As she was watching, Gao Heixiong seemed to have noticed the person in the basket. He gave a malicious smile, handed the oil paper bag in one hand to the other, pulled out the dagger from his waist, twisted it at his fingertips, and then stabbed her suddenly.

With a cry, Naituanzi burst into tears on the spot.

Madam Lin paused.

Then she walked a few steps to the side of the road, put down the basket, and leaned over the basket. She touched the head of the little girl and said, "Don't be afraid, Xinbao."

At the same time, Gao Heixiong looked around.

He didn't notice that while he was doing this, the beauty in front of him also did the same thing.

Then both of them smiled with satisfaction.

Madam Lin touched the head of the little boy again, then stood up and walked towards Gao Heixiong, smiling sweetly: "This big brother."

Gao Heixiong, who was about to come over, was stunned for a moment: "What's the matter?"

She said calmly: "I need your help with something."

Gao Heixiong was stunned for a moment, then he showed a knowing smile, and his eyes swept over her unscrupulously, "Okay, I will definitely do my best to help you!"

He paused for a moment in an extremely ambiguous manner and squinted his eyes.

(End of this chapter)