Sweet and Spicy Daily Life

The city was shrouded in mist that spread from the river in the morning, layer upon layer, in clumps, reminding Liu Chang'an of the cotton harvest season in the past, when craftsmen carrying equipment would come to the farmhouses in the countryside to fluff cotton and make quilts, fluffing it into fluffy waddings, the soft and spread-out appearance of which was very much like the mist in front of him.

The cotton wadding spread on the bed, the fog covering the city.

I lay out a blanket and waited for the cold winter, for the city to clear away the fog, and for the slanting sunrise to arrive, which didn't seem as tall as Baolong Center Building One.

The towering buildings, stretching into the mist, stood in rows, with hardly any pedestrians around, reminiscent of the empty scenes often seen in science fiction movies.

"Where are we going to find candy?" Zhou Dongdong asked, wagging Liu Chang'an hand and skipping around.

"Ask the fairy for some, and the fairy will lift her skirt and sway it, and lots and lots of sparkling candies will fall down."

"Then what should we give her?" Zhou Dongdong was stumped again. This was different from someone giving her food voluntarily. If you ask someone for something, you have to give them something in return.

"Brother Chang'an gave their family so many things before, so it's okay for them to ask for some candy now."

"Aww..."

"Don't bark like a dog."

"Oh."

Liu Chang'an didn't call Zhu Juntang directly, but asked Zhong Qing to see if he and Zhou Dongdong could go up and get it, or if she could bring it down herself, whichever was more convenient.

Zhong Qing suggested that he and Zhou Dongdong go up and get it, because it depended on what kind of candy the children liked.

"The Third Miss is asleep." Zhong Qing smiled unconsciously when she saw Liu Chang'an with the child.

For Zhong Qing, she must have been a little girl like that back then, except that she didn't have an older brother to hold her little finger and lead her around.

"I know, so I didn't bother her." Liu Chang'an likes to be kind to others, so since Zhu Juntang finally offered help last night, Liu Chang'an will consider her feelings and won't ignore her.

"We're in the sky again." Zhou Dongdong looked at the clouds and mist outside the floor-to-ceiling glass walls along the way.

The clouds and mist outside the window were reflected on the floor, shifting and flowing, creating a sense of space that felt completely different from the world below.

"The fairy is sleeping, otherwise she would come and play with you." Zhong Qing put her hands on her lower abdomen, looked down and smiled as she spoke to Zhou Dongdong.

"Sister, you're a fairy too!" Zhou Dongdong leaned against Liu Chang'an's thigh, tilted her head to observe Zhong Qing, and then said happily.

Zhong Qing was not happy at all; he raised his hand to cover his mouth and laughed so hard he was shaking.

"Are you that happy? Are you shaking your face?" Liu Chang'an decided to tease Zhong Qing.

Zhong Qing immediately stopped smiling and glared at Liu Chang'an. Of course, she would wear some powder on her face when she was working, but her makeup was always impeccable. How could she possibly have any powder left? Would she be worthy of staying by the side of the Third Mistress and the Third Miss?

The satisfaction and secret pleasure a girl feels when praised as a fairy is something Liu Chang'an can't understand. Zhong Qing's affection for Zhou Dongdong didn't diminish because of this, and he took Zhou Dongdong to Zhu Juntang's Candy House.

Yes, Zhu Juntang does have a room dedicated to storing candy, and it's named the Candy House. All the candy is displayed beautifully, meticulously, and professionally because many candies require specific conditions such as temperature, humidity, vacuum, and nitrogen for storage.

"Don't get excited, breathe properly, and stop pouting your lips, or your eyes will pop out." Liu Chang'an patted Zhou Dongdong's back, patted her chest, and rubbed her cheeks to bring her back to her senses.

"Can we trade rice noodles for it later?" Zhou Dongdong whispered to Liu Chang'an.

"Is it okay?" Liu Chang'an looked at Zhong Qing expectantly.

Zhong Qing nodded with a smile. Although Liu Chang'an could make people feel suffocated by him most of the time, when he was with Zhou Dongdong, not only was Zhou Dongdong cute, but he was also much cuter.

Liu Chang'an and Zhou Dongdong successfully entered the Heavenly Palace, triggering a scene where they praised the NPC fairy, received candy, and completed the task.

Back home, Zhou Shuling was wiggling under the sycamore tree. She hadn't been as busy as before, although the shop would definitely take some time to sort things out. Without having to get up early and work late, she had time to exercise. In particular, Zhou Shuling felt that her buttocks had gotten bigger and suspected it was a sign of weight gain, so she quickly decided to exercise.

"Where did you all go so early in the morning?" Zhou Shuling stopped her morning exercises, relying entirely on memory, so she was afraid of making a mistake and making Liu Chang'an laugh at her.

"I'll go to Zhu Juntang's place to get some candy for Zhou Dongdong." Liu Chang'an took a candy, gnawed on it, and broke off the other half for Zhou Shuling.

Zhou Shuling tasted it, then looked at the box of candy in Zhou Dongdong's hand. "This must be expensive, right?"

Liu Chang'an waved his finger, signaling Zhou Shuling not to talk about it.

Zhou Dongdong was still very happy and told her mother that her good friend had treated her to candy.

"Hmm... Go back and pack your schoolbag properly." Zhou Shuling patted Zhou Dongdong's head.

Zhou Dongdong happily went upstairs like a little airplane.

"Isn't this a bit like keeping up with the Joneses?" Zhou Shuling asked Liu Chang'an for his opinion. Although he was her mother, she felt that she didn't have much authority when it came to educating her child.

"Children also have self-esteem and a comparative mentality. It sounds like the candy her best friend brought wasn't cheap either. We can't really expect Zhou Dongdong to bring a bowl of rice noodles... Maybe they won't mind, but children will talk about what happened at school with their families. Some parents might think it's just funny and won't care, but some parents might use their children to hurt Zhou Dongdong." Liu Chang'an paused, not elaborating on the influence of parents. Anyway, you can't predict how people will act. "Whether there was an equal exchange once is one thing, and how exchanges happen in the future is another."

Zhou Shuling nodded as if she understood, but she couldn't argue with Liu Chang'an anyway, so whatever he said was fine. Zhou Shuling absolutely did not believe that Liu Chang'an would harm Zhou Dongdong.

"You really know how to take care of children," Zhou Shuling said admiringly.

"You're the best mother," Liu Chang'an complimented.

"Pah, you always say that Dongdong is so stupid because of me, his Laozi." Zhou Shuling said this with a hint of pride.

"I'm going to military training now, and I need to buy a new pair of shoes today. When the sun comes out later, could you help me take the chili sauce and wheat paste out to dry?"

"Okay, it smells delicious."

"Don't steal any food."

"I'm not Dongdong!"

"Mother and daughter are almost the same."

"No!"

When Zhou Shuling was helping Liu Chang'an dry the chili peppers, she dipped her finger into the reddish edge of one of the peppers and tasted it. It was indeed delicious. She was just tasting it; it wasn't stealing a bite at all.

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Lanjiji, feeling uneasy, broke free from the seal of the bed and wrote a chapter. You may still think it's short and weak, but my heart and soul have been exhausted.