The weather has been neither too hot nor too cold lately, and the mosquitoes haven't come out yet.
Hu Tianqin and his daughter Hu Shaoshao moved a small table out of their house and set out the bowls and chopsticks.
Yi Mu squinted at the small table: a large bowl of braised pork ribs, stir-fried pork with garlic sprouts, and a bowl of vegetable and meatball soup.
It's all meat, can a little girl eat that?
As it turned out, he was overthinking it.
The little girl not only finished her meal, but she also had a great appetite for meat; she wouldn't even touch the vegetables on her plate with her chopsticks.
She could eat all the rice in that big bowl by herself.
Compared to her, her father's eating manners seemed quite refined.
The little girl kept talking as she ate, chattering away like a little megaphone.
"Second Uncle, I think that auntie from earlier today was there to arrange a marriage for you. When Father was alive, he always said that you're getting on in years and that you should hurry up and marry your second auntie and have a baby."
Wait, isn't that Daddy? When did he become Second Uncle?
Hu Tianqin doesn't treat his little niece like a child at all. She's quite clever and mischievous.
He ladled a bowl of soup and placed it in front of his little niece, saying lazily, "Your father also said not to talk while eating. Look at you, there are rice grains all over the table."
My niece was about to say something when she suddenly stood up from the stool.
Hu Tianqin looked up at her and asked, "Where are you going?"
Hu Shao Shao ran to open the door, "Zi Ruo's father is never home, he must be starving now."
Yi Mu: "..." I'm not a good father.
We were so focused on studying that we didn't even realize our child was hungry.
The instant his body shifted from a static to a dynamic state, he suddenly sensed danger and quickly dodged to the side.
A fragile chopstick was plunged into the hard wall, embedding itself three inches into the brick.
If Yi Mu hadn't dodged, those chopsticks would have killed him by now.
"Why are you not home for mealtime? What brings you to my yard?"
Mr. Hu, whom his neighbors called a cheerful and upright man, had a coldness in his voice.
Yi Mu turned around, dressed in a dark night outfit, his face covered with a black cloth, making it impossible for an ordinary person to recognize him at a glance.
This blacksmith is no ordinary person.
Hu Tianqin sat there motionless, his eyebrows and eyes hidden in the darkness, dark and gloomy, the cheerful demeanor he gave during the day gone, appearing sinister and containing a faint murderous aura.
For a moment, Yi Mu felt that Hu Tianqin was like the original owner of this body, the kind of person who would risk his life.
Yi Mu pulled off the black cloth covering his face, bowed to Hu Tianjin, and leaped over the wall using the chopstick as leverage.
"No offense intended, please understand." A father's heart.
Yi Mu turned and entered the yard, where little Shao Shao was holding Zi Ruo's hand.
"Oh, don't be shy. My dad cooked a delicious meal. You can eat with me and then do your homework together."
Zi Ruo's face showed a conflicted expression. He used to be a shameless little beggar who had even fought with dogs for food.
But now he has cleaned himself up and even went to school.
Confucius said that a normal person would not fight with a dog for food, as that would be too uncivilized.
Zi Ruo used to not know what shame was; he only knew that being well-fed and clothed was the most important thing. Now he wants to be a person with a sense of shame.
He's been eating at Shao Shao's house for the past few days, and he feels too embarrassed to go again today.
Ziruo was a little shorter and thinner than Shaoshao. She wasn't as strong as the little girl who loved meat, and when Shaoshao dragged her to the door, she couldn't stop herself.
Yi Mu walked over and grabbed Zi Ruo by the back of her neck.
When Ziruo saw him, she held her breath and dared not breathe loudly.
Little Shao Shao exclaimed curiously, "Uncle, you didn't seem to be home just now."
Yi Mu patted her little head: "Uncle is sleeping at home. Now we're taking Zi Ruo out to eat. Shao Shao, do you want to come with us?"
Shao Shao shook her head.
"My dad has cooked dinner. Uncle, you must take Ziruo to eat something delicious."
Looking into the little girl's innocent eyes, Yi Mu felt a pang of guilt, even though he knew he had been mistreating Ziran.
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