Chapter 82

Chapter 82

By nine o'clock in the evening, the guests returned to their lodgings.

Their accommodations were a large courtyard, with each pair of guests staying in a separate room.

Lin Yi brought Huo Mianmian back to their room.

The houses here were all tiled-roof cottages. It was drizzling lightly, and water dripped steadily from the eaves, creating a serene and poetic atmosphere.

Lin Yi pushed open the wooden door of the house.

Compared to the damp chill outside, the inside was dry and warm, with a stove in the living room bubbling away with tea.

Lin Yi led Huo Mianmian inside.

The warm yellow light inside made the room bright and cozy.

Lin Yi found two clean cups and poured some of the hot liquid from the kettle for himself and Huo Mianmian.

Once it cooled down a bit, Lin Yi took a sip from his cup.

He realized it was ginger tea, sweet and warm, perfect for such a rainy night.

After a few sips, he felt his body warming up.

Huo Mianmian also took a small sip from his cup, his eyes lighting up as he found it delicious, and then he drank several more sips.

"Ah, I want some too! I'm rushing to the kitchen to make some ginger tea!"

"But I'm in bed now. I don't want to get up and go to the kitchen."

"Order some takeout; a milk tea is just as good. In a roundabout way, I'll be having the same thing as them."

"Good idea!"

After drinking the hot tea, Lin Yi and Huo Mianmian felt warm and cozy, and they went into their bedroom.

The bedroom wasn't large but was very tidy.

Especially the bed, which had a dry and comfortable quilt that seemed to carry the scent of sunshine, likely because it had been aired out on a sunny day.

Lin Yi sat on the bed and felt how soft and comfortable it was, perfect for sleeping.

After checking, he extended his hand to Huo Mianmian: "Come, darling, time for bed."

Before Huo Mianmian could react, the comments exploded.

"Ahhhh, my husband actually invited me to sleep with him?"

"Yes, he even opened his arms to me!!"

"Husband, wait for me, I'm coming right into your embrace."

"Tonight, I'm sleeping with Lin Yi's wife, so happy."

In reality, it was Huo Mianmian, the little bundle of joy, who ran to Lin Yi.

Lin Yi hugged the little one, and immediately a sweet milky scent filled his senses.

Yes, his child was sweet and fragrant, like a glutinous rice ball, soft and cuddly, perfect for hugging!

Lin Yi hugged the child and rolled around on the bed happily.

Huo Mianmian laughed non-stop, his laughter soft and sweet.

"Ahhh, not sure who to envy right now."

"I'm lying alone in bed, shedding tears of envy."

"It's okay. Seeing my husband and son so happy makes me happy too!"

Soon, Lin Yi and Huo Mianmian got up to wash up in the bathroom, then prepared to change into their pajamas.

The cameraman promptly left the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

"Ahhh, don't go! What can't this esteemed member see?"

"I want to see Lin Yi's wife changing clothes!!"

"Wah, can't bear it, I'll have to wake up early tomorrow to watch the live stream."

"Sisters, we'll meet again tomorrow."

The live stream ended.

Inside the bedroom, Lin Yi and Huo Mianmian had changed into their pajamas and lay down in bed together.

Outside, the rain had intensified slightly, and the sound of raindrops hitting the tiles was clear.

With the pitter-patter of rain as accompaniment, Lin Yi gently told Huo Mianmian a bedtime story.

The bedside lamp cast a warm light over the father and son.

Lin Yi leaned against the headboard, one arm around Huo Mianmian's body, gently patting him, while holding a storybook in the other hand, reading softly.

Huo Mianmian lay on his side, snuggled tightly against Lin Yi, listening intently to the story.

Soon, the bedtime story was over, and the rain continued to fall outside.

The father and son didn't speak any further but listened to the sound of water outside.

The rain in Jiang Nan was gentle, a fine drizzle softly falling onto the earth.

When it gathered enough on the tiles, it would drop one by one.

"Drip" "Drip"...

The sound of water repeated, like a rhythmic and soothing lullaby, relaxing their emotions to the fullest extent.

Without realizing it, Lin Yi and Huo Mianmian both fell asleep.

Under the desk lamp, the father and son slept soundly, their mouths slightly curved, as if they were having a good dream.

Soon, the timed desk lamp automatically turned off.

The room plunged into darkness, with only a faint light from outside.

It was tranquil and harmonious.

They had a good night's sleep.

The next day, Lin Yi woke up at around eight o'clock.

After all, he had gone to bed early last night, so naturally, he woke up early.

He went to the bathroom to wash up and then changed into the clothes he was going to wear today.

Today, he wore a white tracksuit and a pair of sneakers, instantly giving him a vibrant look.

At this moment, the live stream opened, and countless netizens who had been waiting rushed in.

"It's worth setting an alarm clock to watch the live stream on time."

"A new day starts with a kiss for Lin Yi's wife."

"Seeing Lin Yi's wife, I'm suddenly wide awake."

Lin Yi moved his body a couple of times and then walked over to open the window, preparing to check the weather outside.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened the window, he saw an enlarged face.

Lin Yi: "..."

He instinctively stepped back.

Standing outside their window was Shen Feng, who was about to knock on the window.

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow and looked at Shen Feng coolly. "What are you doing?"

Shen Feng hadn't expected Lin Yi to open the window coincidentally and stuttered, "I-I was going to wake you up."

Lin Yi was somewhat speechless. "Well, that's quite a unique way to wake someone up."

Who stands in front of someone's window early in the morning to scare them?

It was lucky Lin Yi had a big heart; otherwise, anyone else might have been terrified.

"Hahaha, Shen Feng is hilarious."

"I knew he got up early to invite Lin Yi for breakfast."

"These two have such a great relationship."

"Even if they didn't, Shen Feng would make sure their relationship becomes the best."

"Suddenly, Shen Feng feels like a kindergartener."

"Boldly speaking, he is."

Shen Feng felt awkward seeing Lin Yi's startled expression.

But he quickly returned to his usual boisterous self and urged Lin Yi, "Hurry up! We're going for breakfast! Didn't you say you wanted to try all the food here? What are you waiting for?"

Lin Yi nodded after hearing this. "Alright, give me a minute."

With that, he turned back inside, took Huo Mianmian with him, and exited through the front door.

At this moment, Zhao Jin and Zhou Ke also came out.

Thus, the guests gathered together and walked towards a breakfast stall.

The weather was nice today, with the morning sun at just the right temperature, and a gentle breeze blowing.

The willow branches swayed in the wind, and some blooming flowers emitted a fragrant scent, attracting countless butterflies dancing among them, while bees busily collected nectar.

Everything was beautiful.

Lin Yi and the others walked for about ten minutes and arrived at a breakfast stall.

This breakfast stall offered a wide variety of dishes.

Green rice balls, rice rolls, fried dough sticks, soy milk...

In short, almost everything you could imagine was available here.

And judging from the experienced looks of the owner and his wife, the food must be delicious.

The guests found a table and sat down.

Lin Yi first ordered a basket of xiaolongbao and two bowls of soy milk.

The other guests also ordered their favorite dishes.

Soon, the proprietress brought Lin Yi's order over and said with a smile, "Try it and see if you like it."

Lin Yi picked up his chopsticks and ate one xiaolongbao.

With one bite, the rich meat juice filled his mouth.

These were pork-filled xiaolongbao, with thin skin and a large filling, giving them an especially good texture.

After he finished the xiaolongbao, he picked up the soy milk and took a sip.

This soy milk was clearly freshly made, with a rich and authentic taste, full of the aroma of beans.

Lin Yi thought that he might come to this breakfast shop for the next few days.

"Ahhh, Lin Yi, my husband, eats so temptingly."

"So is this a kids' show or a food broadcast?"

"Crazily swallowing saliva, I can't take it anymore; I need to cook some noodles."

Huo Mianmian had a smaller appetite. After eating a few xiaolongbao and drinking a bowl of soy milk, he was almost full.

At this moment, the production team gave them a task to test the children's hands-on abilities.

The task was to learn how to make rice balls from the breakfast shop owner.

Huo Mianmian blinked in confusion.

How do you make rice balls?

At this point, the staff led the children to the designated area, and Huo Mianmian followed in a daze.

Soon, the three children were led to a low table.

On the table, various tools needed to make rice balls were already laid out.

The breakfast shop owner smiled at them and said, "Kids, today we're going to learn how to make rice balls. Let's see who does it better."

Huo Mianmian nodded obediently.

Soon, the owner began teaching them how to make rice balls.

Huo Mianmian listened to the steps and started making the rice ball bit by bit.

He first took a sheet of cling film and carefully spread it on the table, then grabbed some glutinous rice and placed it on the cling film.

After grabbing a little, he felt it wasn't enough and grabbed twice more.

He wanted to make a big rice ball for his dad.

After laying out the glutinous rice, Huo Mianmian started adding ingredients.

First, he added shredded pork, then an egg. Thinking it wasn't enough, he added slices of meat and a fried dough stick. Still feeling it wasn't enough, he grabbed a sausage...

He kept adding more and more!

The toppings on the rice ball looked like a small mountain.

The comments section burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha, enough, Mianmian, how big is your rice ball going to be?"

"Mianmian, don't stuff your dad too much!"

"I can already imagine Lin Yi's expression later."

"Hahahaha, I can't stop laughing."

After seriously adding all the toppings, Huo Mianmian realized a problem: the rice ball seemed too big to wrap.

He pursed his lips, looking a bit confused.

But soon, he started wrapping it with all his might, using every ounce of strength to pull the cling film together around the rice ball.

He really used all his strength, as if his whole body was working for this rice ball.

After a while, he finally managed to wrap the rice ball in cling film and put it into a mold to shape it.

Finally, a delicious rice ball was done.

Huo Mianmian was very happy, holding the rice ball and getting up to run to Lin Yi.

In comparison, Xiao Niangao's rice ball was much simpler, just casually adding a few toppings to the glutinous rice, creating a simplified version.

However, Xiao Niangao did better than Song Yutao.

Because Song Yutao was too lazy to make a rice ball for his uncle and was currently spacing out.

"Hahaha, these three kids have such different personalities."

"Each kid is interesting, but if I were to adopt a child, I'd definitely want one like Mianmian."

"Who wouldn't like the well-behaved and considerate Mianmian?"

Huo Mianmian held the rice ball and walked to the dining table outside, finding his dad.

He almost tripped because he was running too fast.

Fortunately, Lin Yi caught him quickly.

Lin Yi asked Huo Mianmian with some lingering fear, "Zai, what's wrong? Why were you running so fast?"

If his adorable little one had fallen, he would have been heartbroken.

Huo Mianmian wasn't affected by the small incident and held up a much larger than usual rice ball, saying happily to Lin Yi, "Dad, this is the rice ball I made for you!"

Lin Yi looked at the plus-sized rice ball: "..."

This love was truly overwhelming.

"Haha, I knew Lin Yi would react like this."

"The little one's love is too heavy."

"I'm willing to eat it; feed me!"

Luckily, Lin Yi hadn't eaten the fried dough sticks and green rice balls yet, so he could make room for this rice ball.

Besides, thinking about how hard Huo Mianmian had worked on it, he decided to taste it himself. He broke off a small piece of the rice ball and handed it to Huo Mianmian. "Baby, try it yourself."

"Okay." Huo Mianmian took the rice ball and took a bite.

Lin Yi asked, "How is it? Is it good?"

Huo Mianmian nodded vigorously. "It's delicious!"

After all, he made it himself, so emotionally, it tasted even better.

Lin Yi also took a bite of the rice ball.

To his surprise, it was filled with plenty of ingredients, making it rich in flavor and quite tasty.

Huo Mianmian then asked Lin Yi, "Dad, do you think it's good?"

Lin Yi smiled. "Of course! Anything our little Mianmian makes is super delicious!"

Huo Mianmian proudly shook his head, looking adorable.

"Starting the ritual, awsl!"

"I need to buy a sack to prepare for my kidnapping plan."

"I'll take the big one."

"Kids make choices, adults want them all!"

After breakfast, the guests proceeded to the morning activity: watching a traditional opera performance.

They walked along the cobblestone path to the venue.

Several tables and chairs were already set up, each with nuts and tea.

Lin Yi casually picked a chair and sat down, then lifted Huo Mianmian onto an adjacent chair.

Seeing this, Shen Feng immediately sat at the same table, right next to Lin Yi.

Zhou Ke and Zhao Jin sat at another table.

The stage was across a river from where they were sitting.

Everyone sipped their tea while waiting for the performance to begin.

Lin Yi lifted his teacup.

The cup was intricately designed, complete with a lid. He gently pushed aside the leaves with the lid and took a sip, instantly feeling calm and focused.

"Why does he look so good even when drinking tea?"

"True to form, my Lin Yi wife."

"Quietly dug out my dad's Tie Guan Yin and brewed a cup."

Just as Lin Yi finished his tea and put down the cup, a gong sounded from across the river, signaling the start of the opera performance.

Lin Yi curiously looked over.

He had never sat down to watch an opera before, and today was his chance to experience it.

As the rhythmic sounds of drums and gongs grew more intense, an opera performer stepped onto the stage.

Their first words captivated everyone, though no one understood them.

However, some things can be appreciated even without understanding, and Lin Yi was thoroughly engrossed.

The chairs were made of bamboo, spacious and ergonomically designed. Lin Yi leaned back comfortably, resting his hands on the armrests, and listened to the opera leisurely.

He felt like an aristocratic gentleman from ancient times listening to an opera.

Huo Mianmian, on the other hand, knew nothing about opera but was captivated by the acrobatic movements of the martial artist on stage, which kept the child entertained.

When Huo Mianmian saw the martial artist perform several somersaults, moving from one side of the stage to the other, he was completely amazed and instinctively clapped his hands.

So... so impressive!

"Hahaha, it looks like this father and son pair really enjoy this performance."

"I wasn't interested in traditional opera before, but now I'm thoroughly engrossed."

"Me too."

However, Shen Feng on the other side of the table was different.

After listening for a few minutes, he started to feel drowsy.

To him, opera was just a bunch of nonsensical sounds, completely uninteresting, and he couldn't understand a single word.

Then, he leaned back into his chair and fell asleep.

Song Yutao found the opera too noisy and sneaked out to play on his own.

"Hahaha, what a contrast."

"After seeing Shen Feng and his nephew's reactions, I finally found my tribe."

"Zhao Jin and Zhou Ke are also enjoying it very much."

Shen Feng continued sleeping until at one point, his body slipped down, causing him to wake up with a start.

The performance on stage was still ongoing, but they had switched to a different piece.

Shen Feng frowned impatiently, wanting to call Lin Yi and leave.

But when he turned his head, he saw Lin Yi watching the performance with great interest.

Shen Feng: "??"

His mouth twitched, then he asked Lin Yi, "Are you actually a fan of traditional opera?"

In his mind, only grandparents enjoyed such things.

Lin Yi shifted his gaze from the stage, giving him a casual glance. "Is there a problem?"

Shen Feng: "...No, no."

Lin Yi turned back to watch the performance.

Shen Feng: "..."

Is this really that interesting?

Shen Feng fell silent.

He began to doubt himself and forced himself to appreciate the performance properly.

However, after three minutes, Shen Feng almost fell asleep again.

No way, traditional opera is too hypnotic. He couldn't understand how Lin Yi could be so engrossed.

"Hahaha, Shen Feng is hilarious."

"Don't force yourself; everyone has different interests."

"Seeing how seriously Lin Yi watches, Shen Feng is questioning everything."

The guests watched the opera for two hours.

When it ended, Lin Yi stood up from his chair and stretched comfortably.

Shen Feng jumped up immediately, urging, "Let's go, let's go. I almost fell asleep again."

Lin Yi gave him a faint glance.

Shen Feng somehow interpreted something from that look and exploded, "What?! Are you saying I have no taste?"

Lin Yi: "..."

He calmly commented, "Your imagination is quite vivid."

Shen Feng was speechless.

He knew he might have overreacted in front of Lin Yi, but he couldn't help it. He cared deeply about his image in Lin Yi's eyes, afraid that Lin Yi would think poorly of him.

This was unprecedented for him, as the old Shen Feng never cared about others' opinions. Only Lin Yi could make him react like this.

"Shen Feng's reactions are just like those boys in school, arrogant yet caring about their image."

"Hahaha, especially in front of someone they like."

"Though I shouldn't, I can't help shipping them. They're really easy to root for."

"Me too!"

After watching the opera, the guests went to experience boating.

They needed to row from their current location back to where they were staying.

Upon reaching the riverbank, Lin Yi saw the boats they would use.

There were very few boats, more accurately described as wooden rafts, each capable of holding two to three people.

Each boat contained two wooden paddles, to be used by a pair of guests, one adult and one child.

Lin Yi moved closer to the riverbank and stepped onto the small boat first.

He stood on it and tested its stability before extending his hand to Huo Mianmian: "Mianmian, come."

Huo Mianmian jumped into Lin Yi's arms and was then lifted onto the small boat.

Lin Yi carefully placed Huo Mianmian in the boat and picked up one of the oars.

Seeing this, Huo Mianmian asked curiously, "Dad, are we going to row back?"

Lin Yi nodded: "Yes, would you like to give it a try?"

"Sure."

Huo Mianmian responded in his baby voice and picked up the other oar.

Once both were in position, Lin Yi said to Huo Mianmian, "Zai, let's give it a try."

"Okay!"

Soon, father and son each took control of one side and started rowing seriously.

However, after rowing for a while, the boat kept circling in place.

Round and round it went.

"Hahaha, help, what's happening here?"

"Their strength is different, and so is the arc they make when rowing, which naturally causes this result."

"Oh my, this is too funny!"

As Huo Mianmian continued to row, he noticed this and slightly widened his eyes, saying, "Dad, there seems to be a problem."

Lin Yi had already noticed this but pretended not to know and asked Huo Mianmian, "What's wrong?"

Huo Mianmian looked serious: "Our boat keeps circling in place. Did we fall into a whirlpool?"

Lin Yi laughed: "Hahaha! I don't think so."

Huo Mianmian continued thinking: "Could it be that there's a monster under the water controlling our boat?"

He had recently watched an animated film about sea exploration, so his imagination was running wild.

Lin Yi tried hard not to laugh and said, "Why don't you check if there's anything in the water?"

Huo Mianmian leaned over and looked into the water.

But he saw nothing.

He looked up and said, "There's nothing. What's going on?"

Lin Yi said seriously, "I'm not sure. It might be some mysterious force."

Huo Mianmian blinked in surprise.

Mysterious force?

It was just like in the animated film he had seen!

"Lin Yi is really good at teasing the little one."

"If I had such a cute little one, I'd tease him every day too."

"Who wouldn't want a cute little one like that? Sadly, we don't have one, and that's a sad story."

After a while, Lin Yi stopped teasing Huo Mianmian and said, "Let's try rowing again?"

Huo Mianmian nodded seriously: "Okay."

This time, as they started rowing, Lin Yi adjusted his strength to match Huo Mianmian's, gently moving the oar with the current, and their boat finally began to move forward.

Huo Mianmian immediately shouted happily, "Dad, our boat is moving!"

Lin Yi smiled: "Yes, let's keep rowing."

"Okay!"

Then, father and son put in their best effort to row the boat forward.

The oars splashed through the water, and the small boat moved swiftly ahead.

Accompanied by the beautiful flute music coming from somewhere along the shore, Huo Mianmian, the soft and tender little one, sat close to the edge of the boat, holding the oar tightly with both hands, rowing seriously.

He even softly chanted to himself—

"Heave ho~ Heave ho~"

"A'Wei, come out and go through the motions."

"Awsl"

"Ahhh, so cute, I'm rolling around in bed!"