Zhang Hongmei even practiced Tai Chi, but then she noticed an incredibly beautiful foreign girl next door, perched on the fence, staring intently at her.
I liked her at first sight. I stood smiling by the fence and greeted her. This child must be mixed race; she has dark Asian eyes.
The little girl was rather shy, but she didn't run away; instead, she smiled with her lips pursed.
"My name is Zhang Hongmei, what's yours?"
"My name is Anne McCann."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Annie."
The little girl smiled, pursing her lips, and said, "I like you."
"Really? I like you very much too. Because you are so beautiful and kind."
The little girl laughed even more heartily after Zhang Hongmei made her laugh.
"Sister, you're so beautiful, just like my mother." Her voice trailed off as she lowered her head.
"Beautiful lady, can you tell me how old you are?" Zhang Hongmei couldn't bear to see the young girl so downcast, so she quickly changed the subject.
"Sister, I am six years old this year. I turned five yesterday."
"Hehe, my sister is nine years older than you."
"Sister, were you dancing just now?"
"No, my sister exercises. Look how healthy she is, that's because I exercise every day. If Annie wants to be healthy too, she should go to bed early and get up early and exercise."
"Yes, Dad said so too. I haven't been sick at all this year!"
"You're amazing, my little angel."
"Haha, my dad says the same thing, that I'm his angel!"
"Yes, you are everyone's angel. Beautiful, kind, all the best words can be used to describe you."
"Sister, can I come over and play with you?"
"Of course you can, but you must ask your family for permission. So, my angel, go ask them now, I'll be waiting for you here. And you can even eat our local food at my house."
"Okay, okay!" the little girl said and turned to run away.
"Slow down, I'll wait for you, no need to rush," Zhang Hongmei called after her, afraid that the little girl would fall.
A few minutes later, a tall, exceptionally handsome man came out holding Annie's hand.
"Dad, this is the girl next door I was talking about. Can I go play with her? Just for an hour, I promise!"
The handsome man smiled and looked down. "Okay, but I need to get to know this lady first. Otherwise, wouldn't that be impolite?"
The father and son walked up to Zhang Hongmei and greeted her through the fence.
“Hello, beautiful lady, I am Carlos McCann, Annie McCann’s father. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
"Hello sir, I am Zhang Hongmei, and it is a pleasure to meet you as well."
"Hehe. Then I'm sorry to bother you, Annie wants to come over and play with you."
"Hehe, you're very welcome. I'll go open the door. I've been home all day, so you can come see her anytime."
"Thanks, see you at the door."
They opened their doors at the same time and stepped out of their yards at the same time. "Mr. McCann, may Annie have dinner at my house?"
"It's our pleasure. Please take care of her."
Annie let go of her father's hand and ran over to take Zhang Hongmei's hand. "Sister, your hand is so soft and warm."
"Really? But I feel more comfortable holding Annie's hand." Zhang Hongmei spoke to the little girl, looking down at her. "When you come back with me, you should say goodbye to your father."
"Yes, goodbye Dad, I promise I'll be back in an hour."
"Hehe, you can play a little longer. You can wait for Dad to come and pick you up."
"That's great!" The little girl smiled broadly, easily satisfied.
The two nodded, and Zhang Hongmei led Annie back to her home.
As soon as I entered the living room, everyone's eyes turned to me.
Wang Xinyi is currently pregnant, so she especially loves children.
“Hongmei, where are you from, little girl? You’re so beautiful.” She spoke in Chinese, so the little girl looked at Zhang Hongmei.
"Aunt Wang, please speak in a foreign language. Our little angel probably won't understand us."
The little girl nodded after listening. "I can understand," she said, also in Mandarin.
Wang Xinyi walked over with a smile, not daring to squat down, but bent down and repeated what she had just said in a foreign language.
The little girl smiled and said, "Hello, Auntie, I'm Annie McCann. It's a pleasure to visit your home."
Wang Xinyi was absolutely smitten. "So, how about I sincerely invite Annie to have dinner at my house?"
"I'd love to."
The others also gathered around and greeted the little girl. She had captured everyone's hearts.
Shen Yunfang was even more exaggerated; although she didn't know how to say much, she could still say ordinary greetings. After introducing herself, she ran to the kitchen.
“Little angel, Aunt Chen must have gone to make you something delicious. Come on, let’s go to the dining room.” Zhang Hongmei led the little girl ahead.
"Hongmei, where did you pick up this little girl? She's so cute." Cheng Guangxu leaned closer to Zhang Hongmei and asked in a low voice.
Zhang Hongmei rolled her eyes at him. "What do you mean by 'abducted'? That's too harsh. She's our neighbor. I was practicing Tai Chi just now, and she was watching. I like her, so we became friends."
Cheng Guangxu gave Zhang Hongmei a thumbs up. "You can even snag an angel like that?"
Cai Peilin was the one who brought the food out; Shen Yunfang hadn't seen me at all. Only after everyone was seated did Shen Yunfang come out, carrying a bowl of steamed egg custard in both hands. She placed it on the table in front of Annie.
"Annie, this is steamed egg custard that Aunt Shen prepared for you. It's very nutritious and delicious. Would you like to try it?" Zhang Hongmei said, handing the little girl a spoon.
Wang Xinyi served the little girl another bowl of soup. This was meant for Zhang Hongmei and her alone, but today there was one more person drinking it.
Zhao Tiancheng sat to one side, watching with a smile. He thought to himself, "If only my wife could give birth to such a beautiful little girl."
Breakfast consisted of three kinds of steamed buns, each only the size of a walnut.
While eating, Zhang Hongmei introduced the food to Annie and took care of her during her meal.
"Sister, your food is so delicious. I wish I could come here to eat every day."
"Of course you can. You can come every day."
"But I have to leave with my dad; he's too busy with work," the little girl said sadly.
"It's okay, you can come visit me when Dad is on vacation!"
"I hope Dad has time. He's so busy."
Zeng Zhongkang was quite surprised to see Zhang Hongmei taking care of the little girl. She was a child herself, yet she was able to take care of a child so skillfully.
After dinner, Zhang Hongmei took Annie's hand, and the two strolled in the yard to digest their food. Their conversation, filled with questions and answers, looked particularly harmonious and loving from a distance.
Carlos McKen stood on the second floor, watching his daughter's joyful figure in the neighboring yard, and smiled contentedly. His daughter truly adored this incredibly beautiful Chinese girl.
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