Chapter 17

Chapter 17

At one point, Lin Yi was grilling pork belly on a baking tray.

When the pork belly sizzled with oil and turned slightly golden, he picked it up, mixed it with some seasonings, placed it in lettuce, wrapped it up, and finally put the whole thing in his mouth.

The next second, he began chewing contentedly, looking thoroughly satisfied.

Huo Mianmian watched his every move and then tried to wrap something in lettuce himself.

He reached for a piece of lettuce from the table, laid it in his palm, and scooped two spoonfuls of fried rice onto it.

Lowering his head, he imitated Lin Yi's actions, carefully wrapping the lettuce into a little bundle.

Then he stuffed the bundle into his mouth.

Because the bundle was quite large, he had to push it in with some effort.

It went in, but when he tried to chew, he found his cheeks puffed out, making it impossible to chew.

Huo Mianmian was confused.

He had clearly seen Little Dad do it this way, so why couldn't he?

Huo Mianmian struggled for a while but still couldn't chew the bundle, and his cheeks started to ache.

Huo Mianmian: "…"

Wah!

Lin Yi was continuing to wrap grilled meat in lettuce when a small hand tugged at his sleeve.

Lin Yi turned and couldn't help but laugh.

At that moment, Huo Mianmian had a large lettuce bundle in his mouth, his cheeks puffed out.

His chubby cheeks were now even more swollen, making him look like a little hamster with a mouthful of food, incredibly cute.

Huo Mianmian opened his big, round eyes and looked at him pleadingly.

But Lin Yi just pinched his cheek and laughed, saying, "Who's this little hamster?"

Huo Mianmian: "…"

Not a little hamster, but a little one who needs saving.

"Ha ha ha, Lin Yi, stop playing around, help our little treasure!"

"Oh my god, screenshot! Cheeky Mianmian is too adorable."

Finally, with Lin Yi's help, Huo Mianmian was saved. He rubbed his slightly sore, round cheeks with both hands and decided to stay away from lettuce, especially lettuce wrapped with food, which was too scary.

Next, Huo Mianmian continued eating his sweet rice wine soup balls, finishing two bowls before stopping.

Soon, everyone finished their barbecue, all feeling very satisfied.

Except for He Nian, who was still preoccupied with today's events and ate distractedly.

Of course, no one really cared whether he was eating properly or not.

Lin Yi went to settle the bill.

Huo Mianmian climbed down from the chair and prepared to wait for Lin Yi.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped off the chair, he felt dizzy and even swayed a bit before managing to steady himself.

He blinked, confused, not knowing what had happened.

When Lin Yi returned after settling the bill, he saw Huo Mianmian standing there, looking bewildered.

He walked over and asked, "What's wrong?"

Huo Mianmian opened his big eyes and said in a soft voice, filled with confusion, "Little Dad, why are things moving around me?"

Lin Yi was initially puzzled but then realized something and squatted down, smiling, "Are you drunk?"

Huo Mianmian had just eaten a lot of sweet rice wine soup balls, so he must be feeling tipsy.

Huo Mianmian tilted his head slowly, "Huh?"

Lin Yi explained, "It's not the things around you that are moving; it's you who's moving."

As he spoke, he steadied Huo Mianmian's wobbly body.

Huo Mianmian immediately stood straighter and declared confidently, "I won't move anymore."

But as soon as Lin Yi let go, he swayed left and right like a bobblehead.

This bobblehead, however, was exceptionally cute, with rosy cheeks like a peach and eyes like wet black glass, his long lashes fluttering like tiny brushes.

Every time Huo Mianmian swayed, he would quickly try to stand straight again.

Sway, stand straight.

It looked both adorable and amusing.

Lin Yi had never seen a human child in a tipsy state before and couldn't help laughing.

"Ha ha ha, our Mianmian is drunk."

"Mianmian, come to your sister's arms."

Lin Yi confirmed that Huo Mianmian was a bit drunk and led him away by the hand.

Huo Mianmian obediently held his hand and followed closely beside him, step by step, as if being by Lin Yi's side was the safest place in the world.

By this time, it was already past seven in the evening, and it was time to return to the countryside inn.

However, everyone thought that since they had come all this way, they might as well buy some supplies from the market to take back with them.

Soon, everyone went off to purchase their needed daily items.

Lin Yi didn't have anything specific in mind to buy, so he strolled leisurely down the street with Huo Mianmian.

The cool evening breeze blew gently, making it very pleasant.

Zhou Ke also hadn't planned on buying anything.

He stood on the street with Xiao Niangao, unsure of which direction to go.

At this moment, Xiao Niangao spotted Lin Yi and Huo Mianmian and immediately called out loudly, "Big Brother Lin Yi, Mianmian, wait for us!!"

Zhou Ke tried to cover his son's mouth but was too late.

It wasn't that he disliked Lin Yi; he was just extremely introverted and couldn't handle social situations like walking together.

If possible, he wished he could be like a turtle or a snail, having a shell to retreat into when necessary, avoiding interaction with others.

But now there was no choice; his son had already called out to Lin Yi, so he had to muster up the courage and walk over.

To Zhou Ke's surprise, being around Lin Yi was not uncomfortable at all; instead, it made him feel unexpectedly relaxed.

Lin Yi didn't force any conversation either. After greeting him initially, he simply enjoyed the evening breeze, strolling leisurely forward.

There was an inexplicable aura about him that brought calmness.

Zhou Ke wasn't experiencing this feeling from Lin Yi for the first time; he just felt it more strongly this time.

He realized that being with Lin Yi was genuinely comfortable.

However, after relaxing for a short while, Zhou Ke started to feel uneasy again.

He noticed people on the street occasionally glancing their way, making him feel awkward and unsure where to put his hands and feet.

While Zhou Ke was feeling lost, he turned to see Lin Yi's composed demeanor.

He humbly asked, "Can I... ask why you don't care about others' opinions?"

Lin Yi replied nonchalantly, "It's simple: just act as if they don't exist."

Zhou Ke: "..."

He said, somewhat embarrassed, "B-but what if I can't do that?"

As he spoke, he looked at Lin Yi with envy.

He admired Lin Yi's freedom and ease, always so composed no matter the situation.

Lin Yi responded calmly, "If you can't, then you can't. Who says everyone has to be the same? There are so many people in the world—some are extroverted, some are introverted. Why must we all be alike? Neither personality is wrong; live for yourself and find comfort in who you are."

Zhou Ke's eyes widened slightly.

Lin Yi's words instantly healed him.

He had always felt inferior due to his extreme introversion, thinking he didn't fit in with others.

But now, Lin Yi told him that both extroversion and introversion were fine, as long as one was comfortable with oneself.

Zhou Ke's voice trembled slightly, "T-thank you."

"Wah, this socially anxious person feels healed!!"

"Me too! Ever since I was little, people have criticized me for always being alone, saying I'm too unsociable. But I just like being alone! Today, I realized there's nothing wrong with that!!"

"Exactly, everyone's personality is unique; there's no need to compare ourselves with others!"

"On weekends, I can stay home alone all day, and that's my own special happy time!!"

"Suddenly, I feel Lin Yi is so gentle. He may seem indifferent, but deep down, he's warm and healing."

"My husband Lin Yi is the best!!"

Soon, they arrived at a stall selling fried dough cakes.

The fried dough cakes looked incredibly tempting.

A large iron pot filled with bubbling oil contained several golden-brown fried dough cakes, emitting a delicious aroma.

Lin Yi hadn't had fried dough cakes in a long time and suddenly wanted to try one.

He asked Huo Mianmian, "Kid, do you want a fried dough cake?"

Huo Mianmian was now sober and steady on his feet.

He tiptoed to peek into the pot and nodded, "I want one~"

Seeing this, Zhou Ke and Xiao Niangao each bought one as well.

Soon, the vendor packed the fried dough cakes in bags and handed them over.

Lin Yi took it, opened the bag, and then took a bite.

This fried dough was perfectly done, with a crispy golden exterior and a soft interior.

Moreover, this fried dough had meat filling and scallions inside. With one bite, the flavors of meat and scallions mixed together, bringing great satisfaction.

When Huo Mianmian got the fried dough, he widened his eyes slightly.

This fried dough is so big!

He held the fried dough with both hands in front of him and found that it was actually bigger than his face!

He could completely hide behind it.

At this moment, Huo Mianmian thought of something fun and called Lin Yi in a childish voice: "Dad, can we play hide-and-seek?"

While eating the fried dough, Lin Yi replied, "Sure, go ahead and hide."

Huo Mianmian immediately raised the fried dough to cover his face.

Lin Yi: "..."

Well.

Alright then.

After a few seconds, Lin Yi pretended to be confused and asked, "Mianmian, where did you hide? Why can't I find you?"

At this moment, a little bundle appeared from behind the large fried dough: "Dad, I'm here."

The little bundle had rosy lips and white teeth, with eyes curved into crescents from laughter.

Lin Yi praised, "Mianmian, you hid so well."

Huo Mianmian smiled happily: "Then let's continue."

Lin Yi nodded: "Sure."

Huo Mianmian retracted his little head again, hiding behind the fried dough.

His eyes curved into crescents, delighted at how well he was hiding.

Lin Yi played along: "Mianmian, I can't find you again."

Huo Mianmian popped out from behind the fried dough again: "Here I am~"

His eyes sparkled with a hint of glee.

Next, father and son played hide-and-seek for quite some time, never tiring of it.

Although it was just a small thing, their laughter continued for a long time.

"Actually, I didn't find Mianmian either."

"How coincidental, I looked for a long time and couldn't find him either."

"Hahaha, everyone had so much fun."