A Close Call

"Kids, what would you do if someone cut in line?"

The Second Cub declared righteously, "You big bad guy, throw him out!"

"You're all so small, and everyone here is an adult. Can you even lift them?"

The Second Cub wanted to say he could throw it, but considering that human cubs are indeed very weak, and in order not to reveal his true identity, he changed his story. "My two dads and aunts and uncles are all here. They're really strong; you can't beat them."

The guests were amused by her adorable, fox-like, and domineering manner, and burst into laughter.

The three boys were all from the local community and knew the guests' laughter meant no harm, so their enthusiasm for maintaining order wasn't dampened. They remained serious and strict during their patrols, not giving anyone a chance to cut in line.

As Third Cub walked to the back, she suddenly spotted some familiar guests. She exclaimed "Eh!" and ran over, looking up at the two girls standing together, asking, "Auntie, is that... isn't that... where have I seen you before?"

Actually, Third Cub remembered that these two people were the waiters and cashiers at the restaurant where Lou Yu took them to eat when they first arrived at the base, but she pretended not to remember them in order to hide her ignorance.

The two girls indeed offered to help her recall.

"We met your family at the restaurant where we work last time."

Chapter 100 Almost Exposed

The third girl pretended to have just remembered, exclaimed "Ah!", and looked at the two of them with her bright purple eyes, smiling as she said, "I remember now, you're the auntie who takes our order, and you're the auntie who collects the money."

The two exclaimed excitedly, "It's us! It's us!"

The little boy smiled brightly, "Are you two aunties here to buy meat?"

"Yes," the cashier said. "We heard that mutated monster meat tastes pretty good, so we wanted to buy some to try. This is our first time here."

The third child said, "We already ate last night, it smelled so good, the baby ate two bowls."

The waiter said, "Really? I envy you. Only your family in the entire base can get so much mutated monster meat."

The third child waved his hand, "It's alright, it's alright."

She said this, but her expression revealed nothing but pride, making the two girls want to pinch her cheeks.

After chatting, Sanzai went back to patrol. By the time she returned after a few laps, it would be almost time for the two girls to get to her turn.

When it was their turn, the third child ran to Tao Qiu's side and asked, "Daddy, do you still remember these two aunties?"

Tao Qiu had actually recognized the two women long ago. Smiling, she said, "I remember, they were employees at that restaurant. The one with the short hair even wished me and your father Lou Yu, a long and happy life together."

The cashier said, "Mr. Tao has a really good memory; he actually remembers us."

Tao Qiu said, "A beautiful, friendly, and generous girl, I can't forget her even if I try. You haven't forgotten me either, have you?"

This is a case of praising others while also praising oneself; it demonstrates a deep understanding of the art of conversation.

The two girls were beaming with delight at his flattery, and the waiter immediately said, "Just for Mr. Tao's eloquence, we should buy a few more pounds of mutton to absorb some of your talent."

"Okay, thank you for supporting my business."

Tao Qiu deftly cut the meat they specified, bagged it, and handed it to them. Just as they were about to pay, she said, "When we first arrived at the base, quite a few people had some unpleasant assumptions about us. But you two treated us with such kindness. Consider this my way of thanking you. Here's some meat for you to treat yourself. Girls are especially sensitive to the cold in winter; eating more meat will help you stay healthy."

The two girls stared wide-eyed in shock, as if about to refuse, but Tao Qiu spoke first, "Of course you can't say no, otherwise I'll be sad."

The cashier backed down, saying, "That's too much. Half will do."

"It's not much, it'll be gone in two or three meals at most." Tao Qiu stuffed the meat into their hands, then deliberately urged, "Alright, alright, it's settled then. We have other guests coming up, we can't keep them waiting."

The three boys stepped forward and pulled the two girls aside, saying, "Aunties, come quick, don't block the way!"

Tao Qiu then went to chop meat for the next customer.

Seeing that Tao Qiu was too busy, the two squatted down and looked at the three children with difficulty, saying, "This is too much. Honey, take some of the meat back, or we can pay the difference."

The third child, hands on hips, feigned anger and said, "How can you bring back something you've given away? That's not right. Auntie won't let me be a bad child."

Seeing that the two girls still looked apologetic, Sanzi stepped forward, leaned close to their ears, and said, "The appetizers at your restaurant are so delicious! Next time we go, just give us a couple more plates."

That appetizer wasn't worth as much as the meat, was it? But the two of them knew that Tao Qiu wouldn't take it back even if they refused again, and that it would only make them seem pretentious, so they could only agree.

"Okay, from now on, Auntie will bring you the biggest plate."

They thought that as long as Tao Qiu and his family remained at the base, they would eventually have the opportunity to return something of roughly the same value.

Tao Qiu remembered their kindness, and they were very happy. They left with smiles on their faces, which made many customers extremely envious.

Several lines formed to buy meat. Those at the front of Tao Qiu's line saw what was happening. One of the customers in Lou Yu's line, with a forced smile, said, "Captain Lou's girlfriend is quite generous, giving so much meat to the young lady."

Lou Yu sensed the sourness and provocation in his tone, and lifted his eyelids to look at him. "What, you want me to send you a few pounds too?"

The guest's expression immediately changed, and he said in a rather obsequious tone, "If Captain Lou wants to give me a ride, then I..."

Lou Yu interrupted him directly, "Don't dream about it in broad daylight. We're not obligated to give you anything for free. Here, take the meat you wanted and go pay over there."

As he spoke, he threw the meat into the customer's arms. The customer was both angry and embarrassed, but dared not offend Lou Yu. He could only pay with a pale face, and then slunk away amidst the laughter of the crowd.

Tao Qiu saw Lou Yu her and winked at him, her smile sweeter than honey. Lou Yu responded in the same way.

The onlookers were saying, "My eyes are going to be blinded by all this light!"

After this incident, Lou Yu's reputation for protecting his husband spread far and wide. Everyone said that no one should speak ill of Tao Qiu in front of Lou Yu; at best, they would be scolded, and at worst, their special abilities would be used.

After selling the meat, another sum of money arrived in her account. Looking at the balance in her card, Tao Qiu slept much better that night.

Three days later, the first snow of the winter fell.

Tao Qiu and Lou Yu stayed up a bit late last night. This morning, Lou Yu went to work, and Tao Qiu, feeling lazy, didn't want to get out of bed after waking up. It was the kids who came to tell him that it had snowed.

I walked to the window, drew back the curtains, and saw snowflakes fluttering down, symbolizing that another year was about to pass.

This was their first winter at the base, and the kids were all very excited. Tao Qiu wrapped them up like balls before taking them for a walk in the yard.

Then the snow fell heavier and heavier, covering the yard with a thick layer, making it necessary to shovel a path to get out.

The kids showed Lou Yu photos of the snowmen they had built in the valley, so when Lou Yu had some free time, the family also built two similar snowmen and placed them at the door.

It was Lou Yu's turn to rest that day, and the team invited them over to have some fun and eat there.

After lunch, the family drove over. As soon as the car stopped, the three kids couldn't wait to push open the car door and jump out.

"Godmother! Uncle! We're here!" Erzai ran ahead, looking like a clumsy penguin because he was wearing so many layers.

Huo Lan was already waiting for them at the door. Upon seeing them, he quickly ran over and scooped them up in his arms.

"Long time no see! Have you missed your godmother?"

"Want? As much as the snow on the ground?!" The little one rubbed his face against Huo Lan's, warm and soft, which was really adorable.

Huo Lan's smile practically reached the sky, "Really? Godmother is so touched!"

"Really? Really? Baby is an honest baby."

"Haha, I'm so lucky to receive so much love and longing from my baby."

After holding her second child, Huo Lan went to hold her third. "Godmother, take a look, hasn't Yuanyuan grown a little taller again?"

"Yes, you've grown taller!" the third child exclaimed happily. "Dad measured us yesterday, and my brother, sister, and I have all grown taller!"

Huo Lan patted her head, his smile warm, "That's wonderful! You'll definitely grow up to be a super handsome tall guy, just like your two dads."

After exchanging pleasantries, Huo Lan took their hands and led them into the house.

As for the Eldest Cub, he was dragged away by Liu Qi'an the moment he stepped through the door.

Liu Qi'an wanted to play chess, but none of his teammates liked playing with him. Now that someone had finally come, he had to keep a close eye on them.

Chen Lin served them tea and snacks, and the group sat down in the living room to chat.

Huo Lan told the two children to wait while she ran back to her room and took down all the gifts she had prepared for them.

"We promised to give you a gift for your godparenting ceremony, didn't we? Look, this is a scarf I knitted myself, don't you like it?"

Huo Lan presented two pink woolen scarves to the second and third children.

The scarf is made of a fluffy material, and each end has a small brown bear hanging from it, making it look warm and pretty.

Chen Lin chimed in, "Huo Lan saw this kind of scarf in a TV series and thought it would suit the two of you. She came back and immediately started looking for knitting tutorials, and asked around to buy this kind of yarn. She comes home after work every day to knit; she's more enthusiastic about it than eating!"

The two children touched the soft scarf, imagining the care and hard work Huo Lan put into knitting it. Their eyes reddened, and they excitedly rushed into Huo Lan's arms.

Second son. "Thank you, godmother. You're the best!"