Zhao Xiaoxiu stood by the roadside waving goodbye, watching Youyou and the other two leave.
He turned around, put all the processed animal meat into the freezer, tidied up the goods in the store, checked the water and electricity, locked the doors and windows of the shop, and strode home.
"Dad, Youyou's dad is coming to Area B. Do you know Youyou's dad?" Zhao Xiaoxiu turned to her father and told him this "secret that can't be told."
Because her intuition told her that Youyou's father, a researcher at the headquarters of a biotechnology company, might pose a huge threat to her father.
The little girl had been perfectly fine just moments before, but now, standing before her father, her eyes were filled with nervousness. She clenched her fists and raised them to her chest, her palms sweaty.
Zhao Gang noticed his daughter's nervousness, though he didn't know what she was nervous about.
But that didn't stop him from immediately stopping what he was doing, taking her to the second-floor bathroom, and washing her face and hands with cool water.
The hot, sticky sweat on my hands was washed away by the cool handkerchief, and the inexplicable anxiety also dissipated.
“Dad doesn’t know Youyou’s dad,” Zhao Gang said.
Zhao Xiaoxiu exhaled a breath of hot air, rested her head on her father's lap, and muttered, "But he came from the headquarters of the biotechnology company."
Ever since realizing that her blood is the antidote to the virus, and that the source of it all is her father's tentacles, Zhao Xiaoxiu has paid extra attention to any news related to biotechnology companies.
Zhao Gang unfolded the wrung-out cloth and hung it neatly on the rope, making sure the four corners were aligned, as if he had obsessive-compulsive disorder.
He raised his large hand and rubbed the little head resting against his leg, asking gently, "What if they come from the headquarters of the biotech company?"
"Aren't you afraid they'll take Daddy away? Do you want to be separated from Xiaoxiu?" the little guy suddenly asked excitedly, tilting his head back.
Her big, round eyes looked even rounder because they were wide open, like a cat whose fur had stood on end in a fit of stress.
Zhao Xiaoxiu hugged her father's leg tightly: "I don't want to be separated from Dad."
Zhao Gang was visibly taken aback, then a smile curved his lips. He reached out and gently pulled the little one away from his leg, picking her up. With their eyes level, he said earnestly:
"No, we will never be apart."
"Really?" Zhao Xiaoxiu couldn't believe it. Her little hands unconsciously grabbed her father's T-shirt collar, making it crumpled and messy.
Zhao Gang appeared to be in a good-natured manner, letting her grab him as she pleased, even when her collar was choking him. He didn't react, but simply nodded seriously, giving an affirmative answer.
"real."
Zhao Xiaoxiu took a deep breath. "Can I trust you?"
"It can be trusted."
Zhao Gang added in a serious tone, "Dad doesn't lie to Xiaoxiu. Lying isn't the mark of a good child."
The following sentence was said to Zhao Xiaoxiu. The old father never forgot to educate his child and instill in her the correct values of humanity.
"What do you want to eat tonight?" Seeing that the cub in his arms had finally calmed down, Zhao Gang carried her downstairs to the kitchen. "Today we have evolved pumpkins and mutated cucumbers."
When it comes to food, Zhao Xiaoxiu never makes a choice; she loudly proclaims, "I want them all!"
Zhao Gang nodded. "Okay, I'll take them all."
She put the cub in her arms down, picked up the vegetable washing basin, went to the storage room, brought back the freshly harvested vegetables, and took a portion each of the pumpkins and cucumbers that were placed in the corner.
Zhao Xiaoxiu followed behind her father like a clingy little thing, going wherever Zhao Gang went and never leaving his side.
The last time the cub was this clingy was probably last year when it first arrived in the territory. Feeling insecure in the unfamiliar environment, the little guy followed his father around like glue.
Later, as the territory developed better and better, the little guy felt more secure and stopped following his father so much.
Experiencing the feeling of being clung to by the cubs again, Zhao Gang kept busy with his hands, turned his head to look at the cubs following behind him, and looked on with a face full of enjoyment.
Sister Monkey came as soon as she smelled it.
While Zhao Xiaoxiu and Youyou were playing in the afternoon, Sister Monkey slipped away very quickly. Now, she appeared out of nowhere, covered in mutated little spiky balls.
These spiky balls aren't very dangerous; their only problem is that once they stick to you, they're impossible to tear off, making them extremely difficult to deal with.
The monkey sister was so tormented by these spiky balls that she became irritable. She bared her teeth, put down the bunch of wild fruits she was holding on the table, and immediately rolled over to Zhao Xiaoxiu's feet, gesturing for Zhao Xiaoxiu to help her get rid of the spiky balls.
"Squeak squeak squeak!" Baby, help me!
Monkey Sister's shouts amused Zhao Xiaoxiu. Seeing that she actually laughed, Monkey Sister became even angrier, and lay down on the ground spinning like a top. In no time, the dusty floor was swept until it was sparkling clean.
"Roar!" Sister Monkey accused Zhao Xiaoxiu, but her voice soon turned aggrieved and her monkey eyes reddened.
Zhao Xiaoxiu shook her head with a hiss, "Serves you right, for running around everywhere."
The words she spoke were unpleasant, but the little girl immediately picked up scissors and helped cut off the spiky balls one by one, throwing them into the stove hole to burn as firewood.
The spiky ball was particularly good at igniting flames; with a "whoosh," flames shot out, almost setting Zhao Gang's clothes on fire.
As soon as Zhao Gang turned his head, the child and the monkey immediately gave a fake "hehe~" laugh.
Zhao Gang shook his head helplessly, thinking to himself, "As long as you're happy."
After all the spiky hairs were cut off, Monkey Sister's appearance became sleazy. Her once beautiful golden-brown fur was now covered in scars and scraggly patches.
Sister Monkey doesn't care; there are plenty of male monkeys outside who like her.
With a "splash," he scooped up all the wild fruits he had brought back and put them into the sink. After stirring them around a few times with his two paws, he scooped out two bright red wild fruits and handed them to Zhao Xiaoxiu's mouth. "Eat!"
"What is it?" Zhao Xiaoxiu hesitated before taking it, then smelled it; it had a light fruity fragrance.
Sister Monkey gestured and said: "These low-grade mutated wild fruits picked from the mountains are delicious, sweet and mealy."
Zhao Xiaoxiu was skeptical, but she took a small bite of the fruit. The skin was red, and the flesh inside was white and plump. It had a slightly sweet taste and a texture similar to a mealy apple.
Monkey Sister stared at her with her eyes blinking: Is it delicious?
Zhao Xiaoxiu nodded: "It's delicious, but it's not very moist."
Monkey Sister only chose to hear the first three words she wanted to hear, and she was so happy that she kept shouting. She quickly washed all the wild fruits in the pond, put them in a fruit plate, and sat down at the table with Zhao Xiaoxiu to eat fruit while waiting for Zhao Gang to serve the dishes.
This level of self-awareness is truly unmatched.
Zhao Gang knew that his cub doted on this monkey, so in order to prevent his cub from secretly sharing half of its food with the monkey and letting it go hungry, he specially served two portions of food.
One portion was slammed down in front of Sister Monkey, and another was gently placed in front of Zhao Xiaoxiu. With a smile, he said, "Xiaoxiu, eat your fill. If it's not enough, Daddy will make you more."
"Thank you, Dad!" Zhao Xiaoxiu said with delight.
Sister Monkey wanted to squeak a couple of times too, but was glared at by the tentacle behind Zhao Gang. She shrugged and continued to eat heartily while holding her bowl of vegetables.
With delicious food and Monkey Sister to play with, Zhao Xiaoxiu quickly forgot about Youyou's father's upcoming visit and became a happy child again.
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