Chapter 1453 - 1416: The Cannon Fodder’s Home 24
Chapter 1453: Chapter 1416: The Cannon Fodder’s Home 24
The next morning, Xiao Yuan got up really early, and once he was out of bed he went to make breakfast.
After they finished breakfast, Anning took the three little ones to school, while Xiao Yuan took Zhang Lu to handle her household registration and transfer her school records.
At noon Anning and the three little ones ate at school, so Xiao Yuan didn’t plan on coming back to cook. After he and Zhang Lu finished all the procedures, they just found a random restaurant for lunch.
After lunch, Xiao Yuan took Xiao Lu, who had already changed her surname, around the neighborhood so she could get familiar with the surroundings, and then he took her to move house.
In the afternoon, Xiao Lu was kept running in circles by Xiao Yuan’s instructions, and the move didn’t finish until evening. She was already exhausted, had no time to think too much, and no time to feel out of place or anything.
After resting for a bit, Xiao Lu was dragged by Xiao Yuan into the kitchen to help.
After spending the whole day together, Xiao Lu had warmed up to Xiao Yuan. She could also tell that this biological dad of hers doted on her quite a bit and had a pretty decent personality. The nervousness she’d had before settled down, and she could chat and joke with Xiao Yuan now.
"Dad, you don’t have a job?"
As Xiao Lu was picking vegetables, she talked to Xiao Yuan.
Xiao Yuan had put the rice on and was cutting a piece of meat: "No job. I haven’t looked for a job all these years. What’s wrong?"
Xiao Lu’s expression was a bit complicated: "So our home just relies on my mom’s teacher salary?"
Xiao Yuan put the sliced meat onto a plate: "With the little salary your mom makes, what can that cover? It’s not even enough for our food expenses."
That was true. Xiao Lu had eaten dinner at the Xiao Family’s yesterday, and today she was helping cook. She already knew the Xiao Family ate pretty well. There were eggs, milk, meat, vegetables, fruit and so on every day, all very complete, and many of the fruits they bought were the expensive kinds. Calculated like that, the Xiao Family must spend quite a bit on just food alone every month.
"Dad, then we don’t have any source of income at home?"
Xiao Lu found it strange and quietly asked Xiao Yuan.
Xiao Yuan laughed: "I may not have a job, but it’s not like I don’t earn money. Let me put it this way: the work I do is the kind where I might not open for business for three years, but when I do, that one job feeds us for three years."
Xiao Lu still didn’t really get it.
Xiao Yuan then asked: "You know what a geomancy master is?"
Xiao Lu shook her head.
Xiao Yuan explained: "It’s a Feng Shui Master, someone who specializes in checking and adjusting Feng Shui for people. This place we live in was earned by me doing Feng Shui for the richest man in the county, Bao Bufen."
Xiao Lu’s hand paused over the vegetables: "Dad, is this stuff really that mystical?"
"It’s something passed down from the ancestor for thousands of years, of course there’s some logic to it."
Xiao Yuan said with a smile, "If you’re interested, next time I go look at Feng Shui I’ll take you with me."
Xiao Lu really was a bit interested.
Back when she was with the Zhang Family, she would often hear Mrs. Zhang calling people swindlers, which actually made Xiao Lu feel uncomfortable. After all, no matter what, Xiao Yuan was her biological father. Xiao Lu just couldn’t accept Mrs. Zhang talking about Xiao Yuan like that.
Before, Xiao Lu also thought Xiao Yuan was just using feudal superstition to cheat people out of money, but now she no longer saw it that way.
After all, whatever else you said about her dad, just his looks crushed countless others. The way he stood there, he looked every bit like some immortal figure. With those looks and that temperament, he really didn’t look like a con man.
Besides, are those rich folks idiots? If you can’t solve their problems, would they still be willing to pay?
After Xiao Lu learned that the house they lived in now was earned by Xiao Yuan, she became even more convinced that he must have real ability.
If he hadn’t helped people solve some really tough, even life-and-death problems, who would casually give him a whole apartment? How many people in this world are truly stupid and loaded with money?
Just as Xiao Yuan was thinking of telling Xiao Lu a bit about his work in Feng Shui, the phone in his pocket rang.
Xiao Yuan’s hands were covered in meat grease, dirty and oily, so it wasn’t convenient for him to take out the phone. He motioned for Xiao Lu to take it out and answer it for him.
Xiao Lu took out his phone, put it on the table, and pressed the speaker button.
"Hello."
Xiao Yuan spoke first, and then he heard an anxious voice on the other end: "Master, Master, do you have time these days?"
"These days are fairly relaxed."
Xiao Yuan said with a smile, "What’s the matter?"
The voice calmed down a bit: "There is something. An old friend of mine’s family ran into trouble, so I wanted to ask Master to help take a look. He’s already sought out several masters himself, but unfortunately none of them could solve it. I’m really tight with this old friend, so I wanted to beg Master to lend a hand."
Xiao Yuan sounded a bit torn: "Boss Bao, helping you last time was already breaking my own rules. I also told you I wanted to stop doing this. You’re putting me in a tough spot."
Bao Bufen said urgently: "It really is a matter of life and death, Master. You’d be saving someone’s life, doing a good deed. If we had any other choice, I wouldn’t dare come to you. Please, have mercy."
Xiao Yuan let out a long sigh: "Fine, fine. One matter after another—looks like the heavens don’t want me to wash my hands of this. All right, bring him over tomorrow. I’ll see the person first and then think about whether to take the job."
"Okay, then I’ll bring him over to pay his respects tomorrow."
Bao Bufen laughed.
Xiao Yuan added, "We’ve already moved over to the Longhu District now."
"Master, is the apartment comfortable enough? If there’s anything you’re not satisfied with, just say the word, I’ll have people fix it for you."
Bao Bufen immediately asked with a laugh.
Xiao Yuan turned around and took a fish out of the fridge to braise it: "The place is pretty good to live in. Whether I’m satisfied isn’t the main thing; my Madam is satisfied."
"As long as Sister-in-law is satisfied, that’s good, that’s good."
Bao Bufen didn’t dare say much more to Xiao Yuan. He chuckled and said, "Then I won’t disturb you any longer."
Xiao Yuan signaled for Xiao Lu to hang up.
Then he started the fire to braise the fish.
"Dad, can I stay at home tomorrow and watch how you do it when you see clients?"
Xiao Lu came over and asked.
Xiao Yuan said while working on the fish, "Sure."
Xiao Lu showed a smile with a trace of excitement.
After the meal was ready, Xiao Lu went back to her room to change. She pulled out her suitcase; inside were just two changes of clothes and some odds and ends. When Xiao Lu left the Zhang Family, she really had brought almost nothing. Mrs. Zhang had said she would give her a place and some money, but Xiao Lu declined.
She thought that since she was leaving, she should make it clean-cut, not leave things dragging on. That would be better for everyone.
Xiao Lu took out a set of clothes and, while changing, thought that maybe returning to her own home, to her biological dad’s side, was actually a good thing.
Anyway, judging from how things were now, after she came back, her quality of life hadn’t dropped at all; instead, she’d received more affection and care. She felt being with the Xiao Family was better than being with the Zhang Family.
The Xiao Family was lively with many people, and the relatives truly cared for one another.
But at the Zhang Family, everyone was basically busy with their own things. Zhang Hao was so busy all day that he was hardly ever home. Sometimes she wouldn’t see this adoptive father for several days. As for Mrs. Zhang, she claimed to dote on her, but she was busy with beauty treatments, shopping, and playing cards, so she actually spent very little time with her.
You could say Xiao Lu had basically grown up under the care and companionship of nannies, and in her heart she really longed for sincere affection among family.
She hadn’t found that kind of feeling in the Zhang Family, but she’d found it in the Xiao Family.
Thinking of this, Xiao Lu couldn’t help but smile.