What Annie hadn't expected was that, after running to the little grove south of the ranch that morning and visiting Uncle Gotz, the big-bearded carpenter, she'd paid him a huge sum while he gaped in disbelief and gotten him to agree to take on the renovation of her house. The project would start tomorrow, Spring 12, and run through Spring 30—a total of eighteen days. The moment she got back, she spotted a suspicious-looking fellow lingering in front of her house, as if he were up to no good.
That's right. Annie had seen him tiptoe up to her windowsill more than once and peer inside!
"Hey!!"
?(ψ｀ー′)o
"You bad guy up ahead! Who are you, and what are you sneaking around in front of my house for?!"
o(*｀ー′)o~?*
Smack~!
After quietly creeping a little closer, Annie casually picked up a small stone from the ground and tossed it straight at the suspicious fellow's head. It landed with a dull thud.
"!!"
"Ow~!!"
After a cry of pain, the fellow in a little rainbow-colored cap hurriedly clutched his head. Tears sprang to his eyes as he bent over and turned around.
"A-Annie..."
"It's me, Huang! Hurry up and put down that rock!!!"
If anyone else had thrown a pebble at his head for no reason, Huang would have cursed them out long ago! But since it was that little girl, and since he had something important to tell her in a moment, he forced down the urge to swear and pointed in alarm at the even bigger rock she'd picked up from the ground.
"Huh?"
(??????)????
"Oh! It's you... I think I remember now. You're the bad guy who lives with Uncle Zack, right? But what are you doing at my ranch, and why were you sneaking around in front