"Dad, what are you doing here?" Li Deyang froze slightly when he saw the old man at the door, then quickly stepped forward to help him take the checkered cloth bag off his shoulder.
"It's so heavy. What's in it?"
The old man did not answer. Instead, he eyed Lin Qiye and the other three suspiciously as they walked out of the house before withdrawing his gaze and lowering his voice.
"Deyang, what are those four here for?"
Li Deyang paused. "They're just some tourists planning to enter the forest. I talked them out of it. What's wrong?"
The old man shook his head. "Nothing... Oh, right, I brought you some winter clothes. Wash them, and you'll be able to wear them."
"Daddy!!"
The little girl immediately threw herself into Li Deyang's arms, a brilliant smile blooming across her rosy face.
"Oh, my Little Tingting!" A smile appeared on Li Deyang's face as well. He bent down, picked the little girl up, and rubbed his stubbly chin against her cheek. "Have you missed Daddy after all this time?"
"Yes!" The little girl giggled as she dodged Li Deyang's stubble.
Li Deyang looked at the bag stuffed full of clothes and sighed. "Dad, I've got clothes. Why did you bring so many all the way out here?"
"You do? Aside from that military overcoat, you've got jack shit!" The old man snorted. "Your heating doesn't even work, and you're too stingy to buy clothes. If I didn't bring them over, how were you supposed to get through this winter?"
Holding the little girl, Li Deyang smiled helplessly.
"I told you long ago to find a proper job in the city. Forget how much you could make—at least you'd spend the winters warm and comfortable, right? Maybe you'd even meet a good