Chapter 450: Who Can Refuse a Cute and Well-spoken Little Darling?

Watching this scene unfold, Zhou Yan felt the corners of his mouth lift into a smile.

The first time he’d met Grandmaster Wang, he’d felt the man had a certain otherworldly air about him.

He was aloof and detached, lacking a certain human touch.

But ever since reuniting with Qiu Qi, that warmth had returned.

Perhaps it was just as he’d said: he had found his anchor in this world once again.

How incredibly fortunate to meet again in their seventies.

He felt just as lucky to be a part of it, to witness this moment.

Duan Yu Yan had said she didn’t used to believe in love, and wasn’t he the same?

For a very long time, money had been everything to him.

Only money could give him a true sense of security.

Family, love—it was all bullshit.

He had no family, and he didn’t believe he could ever love and live with someone else with his guard completely down.

‘I thought I’d be alone for a very long time,’ he mused.

Then he’d stumbled into a stroke of incredible luck, defying fate and changing his life.

It landed him in a loving family and allowed him to experience different people and things.

‘Can’t say much about love, but I have a family now,’ he thought.

“Brother, look! There are little fishies over here!” Zhou Momo ran over, grabbed his finger with her small hand, and pulled him toward another corner of the courtyard.

A heavy stone tank sat there. The water lilies had withered, leaving only a few dry stems, while several small red fish swam lazily inside.

Zhou Momo stood on her tiptoes, clinging to the edge of the tank to peer inside. “Look,” she asked curiously, “their tails are so big! They look like fans.”

“They’re goldfish. That’s why their tails are so big,” Zhou Yan explained with a smile.

“Goldfish?” Zhou Momo tilted her head, observing them for a moment. “Well… are they tasty?”

Hearing this, both Zhou Yan and Duan Yu Yan couldn’t help but laugh.

The little one was a true foodie.

“Why don’t you leave Momo here to keep me company for a few days? I’ll send her home in a couple of days,” Duan Yu Yan suggested, looking at Zhou Yan. “And don’t worry, I won’t whisk her away to Xiangjiang.”

Zhou Yan had been perfectly at ease, but after hearing Miss Duan’s little addition, he suddenly wasn’t so sure.

‘She really is fond of Zhou Momo,’ he thought.

“Momo, do you want to stay here and play for a few days?” Zhou Yan asked.

“I’ll take you to eat yummy food and play fun games,” Duan Yu Yan said with a grin.

Zhou Momo thought about it seriously, then shook her head. “I want to go home.”

Zhou Yan threw up his hands, the corners of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

Duan Yu Yan looked a little disappointed.

Zhou Momo turned and hugged Duan Yu Yan’s leg, saying softly, “Yuyan, it’s not that I don’t like you, but I can only fall asleep with Mommy. Otherwise, Granny Xiong will come and snatch both of us away~”

Duan Yu Yan looked down at the tiny, soft girl hugging her leg, and her heart melted. She reached out and patted her head, smiling. “Okay, okay, I understand. I’m not upset with you.”

“Who’s Granny Xiong?” she asked, turning her head to look at Zhou Yan.

“She’s like the Big Bad Wolf from Little Red Riding Hood. The Sichuan and Chongqing version is called Granny Xiong,” Zhou Yan explained.

“I see. The special Sichuan and Chongqing edition of the Big Bad Wolf,” Duan Yu Yan said with a nod and a smile.

With nothing else to do in the afternoon, Duan Yu Yan took Zhou Yan and Zhou Momo on a tour of the backyard as well.

“Your house is so big, big sister!” Zhou Momo exclaimed after running a lap around the backyard. She climbed onto a swing hanging from a beam. “And there’s a swing! This is awesome!”

Duan Yu Yan smiled. “This will be your house from now on.”

“Really?” Zhou Momo’s eyes lit up. She looked at Zhou Yan. “Brother, is that true?”

“Yes. I bought the house. This will be our home from now on,” Zhou Yan confirmed with a smile and a nod.

“That’s great! Now I have a swing, too!” Zhou Momo was ecstatic, but her expression quickly turned to concern as she looked at Duan Yu Yan. “But… where will you and Grandma live? Don’t you have a house anymore? There are so many rooms here, why don’t you just keep living here?”

“Oh, you sweet girl, you’re too kind.” Duan Yu Yan smiled and walked over to sit on the swing next to her. “I have to go home, but don’t worry, we have a place to live.”

“Go home? Isn’t this your home?” Zhou Momo asked, confused.

“This is my grandmother’s house. My home is in Xiangjiang. I’ve been visiting Jiazhou for almost a year now, and it’s time for me to take Grandma home,” Duan Yu Yan said, putting an arm around her with a grin. “Do you want to ride in an airplane and come visit me in Xiangjiang?”

“An airplane?” A look of confusion crossed Zhou Momo’s face. She had never even been in a car before, so how could she possibly understand what an airplane was?

“It’s a machine that flies in the sky, just like a bird. No matter how far away something is, you can get there in a jiffy,” Duan Yu Yan explained with a smile.

“Fly like a bird.” Zhou Momo’s eyes lit up. “Then if we fly to Mountain City, can we get there in a jiffy too?”

“Mountain City? It’s so close, you don’t need an airplane for that. If you take a car, you can leave in the morning and be there by the afternoon.” Duan Yu Yan shook her head with a smile, then asked curiously, “Momo wants to go to Mountain City? Who’s there?”

“Yaoyao is there! She’s in Mountain City for school. I want to visit her, but Brother said it’s too far and it takes a really, really long time by bike.” Zhou Momo sighed, then added in her small, milky voice, “When I grow up, I’ll buy him a car. Then nowhere will be too far.”

“A car, huh? Well, come on. Let’s go for a drive, get some tea by the river, and eat some tasty snacks.” Duan Yu Yan scooped up Zhou Momo and looked at Zhou Yan. “You coming?”

“Of course. Let’s give them some space.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. He had no desire to be the third wheel to their “Romantic Encounter.”

The three of them walked out of the Qiu Mansion’s main gate.

Yan Fei, who had been waiting in the car, immediately got out of the driver’s seat. He jogged forward, glanced first at Zhou Yan, and then at Duan Yu Yan, who was holding Zhou Momo. “Miss Duan, are you heading out? Will you be needing the car?”

“Yes, I’d like to go for a drive. Bring the car over,” Duan Yu Yan replied with a nod.

“Right away.” Yan Fei drove the car to the entrance of the Qiu Mansion.

Zhou Yan reached out and opened the rear door.

Duan Yu Yan placed Zhou Momo in the back seat first, then slid in after her.

Zhou Yan closed the door, then opened the front passenger door and got in, fastening his seatbelt out of habit.

CLICK.

Both Yan Fei and Duan Yu Yan looked at him with a hint of surprise.

“Seatbelts save lives,” Zhou Yan said with a casual smile.

He cherished his life. Whether he was driving or riding as a passenger, the first thing he did upon getting into a car was buckle his seatbelt.

He didn’t own a car himself, but when he went on outings with his roommates, they would let him drive. His license hadn’t been obtained for nothing.

“It’s a good habit,” Duan Yu Yan said with a laugh. She, on the other hand, disliked wearing seatbelts.

Yan Fei glanced at him without a word. Zhou Yan’s movements were too practiced for someone riding in the front seat for the first time; after all, many people didn’t even know what a seatbelt was.

Duan Yu Yan said, “Take a drive along the river, then head to that teahouse I always go to.”

“Understood,” Yan Fei replied, and the car began to move slowly along the riverbank.

“Whoa! It’s moving! It’s like sitting inside a house! A moving house!” Zhou Momo’s eyes were wide with wonder. She tried to press her face to the window to look out, but she was too small to reach and couldn’t see a thing, which made her anxious.

“Come here, I’ll hold you so you can see.” Duan Yu Yan beckoned with a smile. When Momo came over, she lifted the girl onto her lap. The window rolled down, and a cool breeze swept in, carrying the sight of receding trees, pedestrians, and the surging Min River.

Nearly every pedestrian who noticed the car turned to stare, their gazes filled with a mixture of curiosity and envy.

In an era when even bicycles were a luxury, the people riding in a sedan must have been incredibly wealthy.

The little girl didn’t understand any of this; she just thought it was fun.

She stuck her little hand out slightly and giggled. “Brother, the wind is kissing my hand~”

A smile spread across Duan Yu Yan’s face. It felt like years since she had been this excited or happy about anything.

But seeing Zhou Momo’s delight, she was reminded of something wonderfully beautiful and pure.

“Is riding in the car fun?” Zhou Yan asked, turning his head with a smile.

Zhou Momo nodded enthusiastically. “Uh-huh, it’s fun! It’s much comfier than a bicycle. My butt doesn’t hurt at all~”

“Then when your big brother makes some money, he’ll buy a car to take you out for drives, too,” Zhou Yan said with a laugh.

Yan Fei shot him a sidelong glance. ‘This car costs hundreds of thousands! That’s not a sum you can just earn. Even the county magistrate doesn’t have a car like this,’ he thought.

“Okay!” Zhou Momo nodded. “When that happens, we’ll take Grandma, Mommy, Daddy, and Little Uncle with us!”

“I’d have to buy a bus to fit everyone.”

“Really? Then I want to bring Huahua and Dabai along, too!”

“Deal.”

“If you’re buying a bus, I want to come, too,” Duan Yu Yan chimed in with a laugh.

“Okay! Yuyan can come, too,” Zhou Momo agreed with a nod.

The corners of Yan Fei’s mouth lifted slightly. ‘This little girl is so adorable,’ he thought, ‘she reminds me of my own daughter.’

They drove a loop along Binjiang Road and stopped in front of a riverside teahouse.

Zhou Yan got out and opened the rear door, and Zhou Momo slid out by herself.

“Thank you,” Duan Yu Yan said as she stepped out of the car. Zhou Momo had already grabbed her hand and was pulling her forward. “Yuyan, look! They’re selling fried crabs over there!”

“Do you want some? I can buy you a couple,” Duan Yu Yan asked with a smile.

“No! Mommy said last time that big crabs have hard shells and aren’t tasty,” Zhou Momo said, shaking her head.

“Then let’s go down for tea. They have lots of little snacks.”

“Okay, okay!”

Zhou Yan followed them. The riverside teahouse had a wonderful atmosphere. It was a quaint, antique-style stilt house built along the river. It had a sectioned-off area by the water furnished with woven bamboo reclining chairs that looked incredibly comfortable.

Inside, a stage had been set up, and there was even a face-changing performance.

They chose a spot with a view of the river. The bamboo chairs faced the water, and once you reclined in one with a cup of freshly brewed Gaiwan tea at hand, the gentle breeze and warm early winter sun made you feel instantly sleepy, especially after waking up so early and just having had lunch.

Zhou Yan closed his eyes to rest.

“Big sister, this butterfly pastry is so yummy! It really looks like a butterfly~”

“This scallion crisp is really fragrant, too. Try some.”

“So flaky! And so fragrant!”

Duan Yu Yan, meanwhile, was leading Zhou Momo on an eating spree, ordering one of every snack the teahouse offered. They didn’t even spare the dried radishes.

Yan Fei found a spot off to the side for himself, sipping tea while keeping a constant watch on their table.

He paid special attention to Zhou Yan!

‘This kid isn’t just handsome himself, he also has such an adorable sister!’

‘It’s obvious he’s trying to use this cute sister to make Miss Duan fall for his trap.’

‘And the worst part is, Miss Duan is totally falling for it!’

‘Who could possibly resist such a cute, sweet-talking kid?’

‘What a cunning little buzz cut!’