Fu Xiaoxiao had inexhaustible energy, and everyone happily ran laps with him, but Ji Youyou quickly couldn't keep up. Her fair and tender cheeks flushed with a healthy blush, like red apples. She stood in the yard with her hands on her hips, waving at Fu Xiaoxiao and the others. "Slow down, slow down."
Yu Xuanxuan stopped and then grabbed Fu Xiaoxiao and Jameel, "Let's play a different game."
Fu Xiaoxiao nodded and took the initiative to ask Ji Youyou, "What game does Youyou want to play?"
Ji Youyou rested her chin on her hand, pouting involuntarily as she searched her mind for fun games. But before she could come up with anything, her gaze was drawn to something else.
"It's a goose!"
"A goose?" Fu Xiaoxiao turned her head and saw a large, white goose wagging its head as it walked over.
Having been chased by the Call duck before, Fu Xiaoxiao was smarter this time. She took a step back warily, not daring to provoke it.
The goose was also very friendly. It was kept in the yard as a guard dog and, knowing that Fu Xiaoxiao and her companions were guests of the owner, did not attack them.
Furthermore, animals know that their offspring need to be protected and should not be attacked indiscriminately.
Seeing that the goose looked dazed, Fu Xiaoxiao became a little bolder and tentatively stretched out her chubby fingers to gently poke the goose's neck.
Perhaps feeling itchy, the goose, which had been swaying its neck all along, swayed even faster now, making it dazzling to behold.
The little ones were stunned by the scene, their eyes wide, their mouths agape, and they couldn't help but let out a "Wow!"
For some unknown reason, Fu Xiaoxiao's eyes suddenly lit up, and she said, "Big Goose, let's have a competition! I'm sure I can waddle better than you!"
After saying that, he began shaking his head frantically without waiting for the goose's agreement.
The goose's neck was longer and thinner than his, so the effect of shaking it was extremely obvious. In order to beat the goose, Fu Xiaoxiao shook his neck vigorously from side to side and back and forth, causing his body to sway back and forth.
Fu Xiaoxiao was a very competitive child. She quickly felt dizzy, her chubby body swayed twice, and she plopped down on the ground, staring blankly at the sky, unable to speak clearly, "Hey, why is the sky spinning?"
Before he could even regain his balance, he had to push himself up to stand up again and continue competing with the goose.
Yu Xuanxuan patted him on the shoulder and said with great confidence, "Let me do it!"
His movements were even more exaggerated than Fu Xiaoxiao's, like he was practicing drunken boxing, his body spinning like a small top.
Yu Xuanxuan lasted even less than Fu Xiaoxiao before collapsing to the ground, seeing stars.
This activity inexplicably turned into a relay race. When Jameel saw that it was finally his turn, he couldn't wait to stand in front of the goose and started shaking his head frantically.
Unexpectedly, he was the biggest and the weakest; he shook himself a few times symbolically before lying flat on his back on the ground.
Ji Youyou blinked her big, watery eyes. Seeing that her three older brothers had all collapsed, she knew she had to take on this task. So she mustered her courage and walked to the front of the goose, instinctively sticking her head out. Her hair swayed wildly from side to side, creating quite a visual effect.
Fu Xiaoxiao and the others had recovered. Seeing how hard Ji Youyou was working, they felt they couldn't rest any longer, so they also started shaking their heads vigorously.
Their commotion was so great that it attracted the attention of Su Huaiming and his group.
?????
Seeing the bewildered behavior of the human cubs, Su Huaiming quickly went over and restrained Fu Xiaoxiao and the others.
Su Huaiming asked him, "What are you doing?"
Fu Xiaoxiao pointed at the goose and said, "We're having a neck-swinging competition."
Neck-shaking? There's such a competition?!
The village chief patted the goose's head, and the goose immediately quieted down.
Seeing this, Su Huaiming was very surprised and said, "Your goose is so intelligent!"
The village chief smiled. "This goose grew up in the yard. It started patrolling when it was very young, so I've kept it there ever since."
As he spoke, the village chief jokingly tapped the goose's forehead and said, "Apologize."
The goose seemed to understand, turning to look at Fu Xiaoxiao and the others, its dark eyes gleaming with intelligence, and it let out a long, drawn-out cackle.
Su Huaiming was stunned. "This is too sensible! She even apologized."
Seeing her stepfather praising someone else, Fu Xiaoxiao was very dissatisfied. She put her hands on her hips and immediately said, "I can do that too!"
Su Huaiming looked at him strangely, then smiled helplessly.
It's just saying sorry, of course you can do that too.
He had clearly misunderstood Fu Xiaoxiao's meaning. Fu Xiaoxiao took a deep breath. "I'm sorry..."
Su Huaiming: "..."
He then realized that Fu Xiaoxiao wanted to have a contest with the goose to see whose cry was longer.
For a moment, the courtyard was filled with a cacophony of "ga" and "qi," creating a rather comical scene.
The village chief and Su Huaiming exchanged a knowing glance, remaining silent.
The village chief wanted to say, "This wasn't my goose that started it," but considering Su Huaiming's feelings, he could only say curtly, "Your kid is quite energetic."
"Your goose is pretty good too..." Su Huaiming's voice was drowned out by Fu Xiaoxiao.
The village chief, unsure how to respond, could only pass the buck back, asking, "What did you just say?"
"I'd say your goose is pretty good too, it has a very loud voice," Su Huaiming said expressionlessly.
After exchanging compliments, the two couldn't continue. The village chief pinched the goose's beak, and Su Huaiming picked up Fu Xiaoxiao and made him drink some water.
Seeing Fu Xiaoxiao being carried away, the other three children chased after her, vying to drink water.
It seems like everything can be used for competition.
Su Huaiming didn't stop them. After the children finished drinking their water, he let them go play again. Fortunately, this time they didn't fight with the goose.
Yu Ruicheng sighed, "Sometimes, I really don't understand what kids are thinking."
Su Huaiming was deeply moved and was about to nod when Sun Siyuan spoke first.
Sun Siyuan slumped in his chair, his eyelids half-closed, and casually said, "Isn't it obvious? That goose was shaking its head and wagging its tail right in front of me, and it just wouldn't stop. Isn't that a provocation?! If it were me, I'd have a good race with it. People live for pride, and even if I'm exhausted, I can't lose."
Sun Siyuan grew angrier as he spoke, his eyes wide with anger. Only after he finished did he notice that Su Huaiming and Yu Ruicheng were looking at him with complicated expressions.
Sun Siyuan was taken aback and asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
"It's nothing, your analysis is very reliable," Su Huaiming said.
Yu Ruicheng nodded. "I knew you understood."
Halfway through their conversation, Yu Ruicheng and Su Huaiming exchanged a glance, reading the next sentence in each other's eyes:
After all, you're a brat yourself.
Sun Siyuan felt that Su Huaiming and Yu Ruicheng's gazes were too strange. He touched his hair and frowned deeply.
Is it because I'm too handsome that they were all stunned?!
Sun Siyuan wanted to understand, but when he went to ask Su Huaiming and Yu Ruicheng had already started talking about other topics, leaving him no chance to get a word in edgewise.
Sun Siyuan had no choice but to give up.
After a while, the village chief's wife and Ji Mingzhe had prepared dinner and invited everyone to come in and eat.
The village chief had thoughtfully prepared local specialties, and the table was full of dishes that Su Huaiming didn't recognize.
After exchanging pleasantries with the village chief, Sun Siyuan immediately picked up his chopsticks and reached for the dark-colored dish.
After trying the mushroom sauce and bits of fatty meat, he learned a lesson: appearances can be deceiving, and sometimes the same applies to food; the stranger it looks, the better it tastes.
Sun Siyuan didn't even ask any questions, took a bite, and immediately picked up a second chopstick.
Seeing how happily he was eating, the village chief didn't mention that the pile of dark stuff was actually animal blood, for fear that Sun Siyuan would find it disgusting.
Su Huaiming and the others also started eating, and they ate with great relish.
The local flavors are very bold, and the seasonings are used very generously. A single dish can have all five flavors at once: sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy. The proportions have been tested and refined by the locals over thousands of years. They stimulate the taste buds but do not exceed the limits of tolerance. At first, you may find it a little strange, but after the second bite, you will become addicted to the flavor and will want to keep eating.
The more Su Huaiming and the others ate, the happier the village chief became. Seeing this, the village chief's wife arranged to bring some back for them.
The atmosphere was great when everyone was together. After the meal, Su Huaiming and the others didn't leave immediately. Instead, they sat in the courtyard enjoying the cool air while chatting with the village chief and the others.
Su Huaiming and his group had no money, the production team thoughtfully prepared gifts for them and gave them to the village chief.
When it was time to leave, Su Huaiming and the others called the children to go.
Ji Youyou and Yu Xuanxuan obediently walked over. Jameel was a little reluctant, but afraid of making Ning Lei angry, she also Youyou walked over. Only Fu Xiaoxiao was still playing with the goose.
Su Huaiming waved to him and said, "Stop playing, we need to go home."
"No, I haven't had enough fun yet!" Fu Xiaoxiao jumped up, acting spoiled.
"Come again tomorrow." Su Huaiming's attitude remained unyielding.
Fu Xiaoxiao threw a tantrum, grabbed the goose by the neck, and said, "No way! I want to play with the goose tonight. If you don't agree, I'll take the goose away!"
Su Huaiming could tell that the village chief's family really liked the goose and wouldn't want it to go to the wooden house, so he said, "No, the goose can't come with us."
"Then I'll play with it a little longer," Fu Xiaoxiao pouted. "Just a little longer."
Fu Xiaoxiao didn't mean to hurt the goose, but children sometimes lose control of their strength, and the neck is the most vulnerable part. After thinking for a few seconds, Su Huaiming softened his tone, "Okay, let's play a little longer."
After saying that, he turned to Ji Mingzhe and said, "You guys go back first, Xiao Xiao and I will leave later."
Ji Mingzhe paused, then said with concern, "Are you sure you can manage? Walking at night isn't easy."
Su Huaiming smiled and said, "It's alright. Besides, the production crew is with us."
It was almost bedtime for the children, and after Ji Mingzhe nodded in agreement.
After Ji Mingzhe and the others left, Fu Xiaoxiao played with the goose for another half hour. Only when she heard Su Huaiming call her did Fu Xiaoxiao go over.
After saying goodbye to the village chief's family, Su Huaiming led Fu Xiaoxiao by the hand, and then walked towards the wooden house under the moonlight.
The infrastructure here is poor; there are no streetlights along the village roads, and you can only see this short stretch of road by the bright moonlight and a flashlight.
Fu Xiaoxiao had inexhaustible energy and couldn't stop for a moment. Holding Su Huaiming's hand, she was still jumping around.
He turned to look at Su Huaiming, who was walking quietly, his big eyes darting around, when suddenly a mischievous idea popped into his head.
He suddenly moved closer to Su Huaiming, his face flushed, and covered his mouth with his hand, whispering, "You know what? There are really scary things at night!"
Su Huaiming looked at him expressionlessly, "What is that?"
Fu Xiaoxiao scratched her head, trying hard to recall the word, "I think it's called something like 'strange thing'."
Su Huaiming paused for a moment, then said, "It's called a monster, isn't it?"
"That's right, they're called monsters!" Fu Xiaoxiao mischievously tried to scare Su Huaiming. "They're super scary, they eat adults like you one bite at a time, and they look terrifying too."
Fu Xiaoxiao started spouting nonsense based on her imagination. "It looks like a tiger, really big, with incredibly powerful teeth and claws, and it'll pounce on you!"