After a full three hours, both of them were exhausted before they finally came out.
"You two sit down and rest first, I'll go buy you some milk."
"Uncle, I'd like to drink a Coke, just one Coke, okay?"
Looking at the girl's fawning expression, Zeng Zhongkang nodded involuntarily. Afterwards, he regretted it a little; what happened to his principles?
Zhang Hongmei laughed unkindly from the side, which earned her a glare from Zeng Zhongkang.
In the end, I still bought two Cokes. I couldn't help it; their pitiful eyes made me unable to refuse.
It was already dark, and the three of them decided to eat steak outside today. However, Zhang Hongmei and the other two had never actually eaten out before since they came here, so they were completely clueless.
In the end, I decided to go to the store that had the best decor and the most customers.
After wandering around for more than 20 minutes, I finally chose a steakhouse that was very brightly lit and quite crowded.
After the meal, the three of them came out. Zhang Hongmei and Annie were fine, but Zeng Zhongkang really disliked it. What was all this? He wasn't full. It wasn't even as good as hot pot. Everyone else was drinking red wine, but he didn't drink alcohol, and he couldn't just drink juice like the two girls, could he?
"Uncle, don't you like it?"
"Um."
"Hehe, your uncle didn't eat enough."
Zeng Zhongkang sighed helplessly, "Yeah, I'm not full. This isn't even food, is it?" He decided to indulge the two of them's perverse sense of humor anyway.
"Uncle, let's go home and let Aunt Chen cook for you."
Zeng Zhongkang reached out and tried it, rubbing Annie's head; it felt really nice.
The three returned home; apart from Cheng Guangxu and Cai Peilin, the rest were in the living room.
Shen Yunfang immediately went to greet them when she saw them return, asking, "Have you eaten yet?"
"Aunt Chen, my uncle didn't eat enough. My mom and I ate steak."
"Zhongkang, what do you want to eat? There are still some steamed buns at home. How about I fry some dried steamed buns with egg wash for you?"
"Okay, and some pickled vegetables too."
"Mom, what is egg-fried steamed bun?"
"It's just slicing the steamed bun into pieces, dipping them in egg wash, and then frying them in oil until golden brown."
"Mom, I want to try it too."
"Okay, but only a small piece. I'm afraid you'll have indigestion if you eat too much at night."
"Mom, I'll just try a little, I won't eat much."
Zhang Hongmei patted Annie's head with a look of satisfaction. This child was so adorable.
A short while later, Shen Yunfang came over to call them for dinner. Annie took Zeng Zhongkang's hand and the two went to the dining room together.
Miao Xinyue leaned closer and said, "Hongmei, did you really take Annie as your daughter? She's more like a younger sister!"
Neither of the two girls were home today, so they didn't know that Zhang Hongmei was married, and of course, no one would tell them.
"Yes, Annie is so cute." That was all Zhang Hongmei could say.
“She’s really cute. Now Annie can’t call me sister anymore, she has to call me auntie.” Zhao Yuetong chuckled to herself.
"That's true, we're a generation older than each other."
Just then, Zhao Haozheng returned. As he entered the house, he sniffed, "What food smells so good? I haven't had dinner yet."
When Wang Xinyi heard that he hadn't eaten dinner, she was alarmed. "Haozheng, go to the kitchen. Zhongkang is eating fried mantou. Ask your Aunt Chen to make you something else to eat. Never mind, I'll go to the kitchen myself."
"Mom, no need, I can do it myself. You rest, I'm a grown adult."
Zhao Tiancheng also grabbed Wang Xinyi's hand, saying, "You don't need to tell me; he can explain himself clearly."
When the three of them came out of the kitchen, Zhao Haozheng realized that Annie had become Zhang Hongmei's daughter.
He sat on the sofa and laughed heartily, "A fifteen-year-old mother and a five-year-old daughter, not even from the same country, yet they've become a family. What a coincidence!"
Zhang Hongmei ignored him. "Annie, are you sleeping alone? Or are you sleeping with me?"
"Of course I sleep with my mom."
"Okay, I'll go upstairs to shower and go to bed in a bit."
"Zhang Hongmei, you're doing a pretty good job as a mother."
"That's right, mainly because our Annie is so lovable." Zhang Hongmei gave Zhao Haozheng a blank stare, her mouth agape!
“Annie, come here to me. I have a question for you. Zhang Hongmei is your mother, so how should you address me?”
"Do you want to be my uncle?" Annie asked, tilting her head.
Zhao Hao was taken aback for a moment, "Of course, I have to be your uncle, right?"
"But all my other uncles gave me gifts when they met me. Isn't this very impolite, Grandma?"
Wang Xinyi suppressed a laugh and said, "Yes, that was very rude of him."
Annie shrugged helplessly, looking at Zhao Haozheng with a "you're naughty" look.
This time it was Zhang Hongmei's turn to burst into laughter. "Zhao Haozheng, you are really rude."
"Annie, wait for me, I'll go get your gift right away. How could your uncle not know about this? Wait for me, I'm coming right away."
Everyone laughed at Zhao Haozheng's performance.
“Annie, do you like the gift your uncle gave you? This is the only toy I brought from my hometown when I was a child, and I take it with me everywhere I go.”
Annie glanced at Zhang Hongmei. "Annie, accept this. It's a token of your uncle's affection. It's quite fun; it's called 'Lion Rolling an Embroidered Ball.'"
"Thank you, Uncle!"
"Haha, you're welcome, you're welcome! Dad, I have a niece now!"
"Yes, you have a niece now."
Then came another round of laughter and conversation. Zhang Hongmei glanced at the time; it was already 9:30. "Annie, we should go and rest."
Zhao Tiancheng also stood up and said, "Let's all go home now, it's getting late."
After Zhang Hongmei bathed the little girl, dried her hair, and put her to sleep, it was an hour later.
He went straight to the study, then entered the bathroom and took a hot bath. Afterwards, he sat down and read Zhang Shouyi's letter, laughing uncontrollably. He was even jealous of the little girl; he's getting more and more shameless.
She took out a voice recorder, deliberately trying to annoy him, and told him that she would be sleeping with the little girl tonight.
After saying that, I stopped paying attention and didn't study at all today. That won't do; I need to catch up quickly.
The next morning, without waking Annie, he went outside to practice Tai Chi.
Annie overslept today, and was woken up by her mother in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Now that she's awake and her mother isn't beside her, she gets a little anxious, jumps out of bed, and looks out the window. She sees her mother exercising. Reassured, she lies back down, wanting to experience what it feels like for her mother to dress her.
After finishing her ritual, Zhang Hongmei went upstairs, opened the bedroom door, and found that the little girl was already awake, looking at her expectantly.
"Annie, wait a moment for Mom. I'm feeling cold right now. I'm going to take a shower and I'll dress you when I come out."
"Okay, Mom, I'll wait for you."
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