Lin Zhilan and Su Lang never refused when children wanted to share things with them.
The others followed suit and accepted them as well.
Linlin counted the candied haws in her bowl. "One, two, three... I still have three left!"
Everyone laughed.
Jiang Chengzhou pushed two more toward her. "Now you have five."
Linlin blinked her long eyelashes and counted her brother's candied haws. "Five! I have the same as my brother now!"
The little girl was so easily satisfied.
She was happy no matter what, and her joy easily infected those around her.
Xu Yueyun and Su Bingcheng absolutely adored her.
Another person who loved this little sweetheart was Cheng Qingshan.
Lin Zhilan and Su Lang brought the children over for another visit. When they knocked and entered, Sister Li had just opened the door, and they heard Cheng Qingshan saying to someone, "Quickly take the dog to the backyard! Don't scare the children!"
A dog?
Chief Cheng was raising a dog?
Just as she was thinking this, Lin Zhilan heard the faint sound of running.
Looking down, she saw a little furball that had popped out from who-knows-where already at her feet.
It was looking up at her, its stubby little tail wagging furiously behind it.
The puppy was about the size of a basketball, clearly just a month-old weaning pup.
With its yellow fur, chubby round body, dark round eyes, and floppy ears, how could it possibly scare anyone?
"..."
"It's a puppy!"
Linlin exclaimed in surprise, a bit scared but also delighted.
Her little hands were itching to pet it.
Tu Jing came chasing after it. He had been a little nervous at first, but seeing this scene, he couldn't help but smile. "Linlin isn't afraid?"
"No, Uncle Tu. Can I pet it?"
Tu Jing didn't expect her to remember him, and the corners of his lips curled up. "You can pet it, but you have to be gentle."
Before Linlin could even reach out, the puppy placed its two front paws directly onto Linlin's feet.
It seemed very interested in the little child before it, its tail wagging even more happily.
Cheng Qingshan walked over from behind. Hearing the noise, the puppy immediately abandoned this group of new humans and ran to weave around Cheng Qingshan's feet.
"Grandpa Cheng, I'm here to wish you a happy New Year! Happy New Year, wishing you prosperity!"
"Good, good, good," Cheng Qingshan smiled, taking out a pre-prepared red envelope from his pocket. "This is Grandpa's New Year money for you. Wishing you good health and a strong, happy growth."
Linlin looked back at her mother. Seeing Lin Zhilan nod, she then accepted the red envelope. "Thank you, Grandpa Cheng."
"You're welcome." Cheng Qingshan then waved at Jiang Chengzhou. "Little Chengzhou, aren't you going to come over and wish me a happy New Year?"
Jiang Chengzhou smilingly stepped forward to offer his New Year greetings and also received a red envelope.
"Chief, we're here to bother you again."
Cheng Qingshan gave a cold snort. "Not even as sensible as the children. The kids know to call me Grandpa, and you're still calling me Chief?"
"Uncle Cheng!" Lin Zhilan paused for a moment and quickly corrected herself.
Only then did Cheng Qingshan smile. "Come in quickly, it's cold outside."
The Cheng household didn't have many guests. Aside from Tu Jing, the usual visitors were all related to work and business.
Cheng Qingshan was very busy, and aside from work, he didn't speak much at home.
Sister Li just cooked three meals a day for him and cleaned the house.
This was the first time Sister Li had seen him so enthusiastic toward anyone.
In her heart, she instantly elevated Lin Zhilan's family to a higher status.
These were either very important guests or people that Chief Cheng truly valued.
As soon as little Linlin entered the house, she couldn't help but squat down to play with the puppy.
She didn't quite dare let the puppy touch her, reaching her hand out and then pulling it back.
The little puppy loved to play the most. Seeing someone teasing it, it immediately waddled forward on its short little legs.
First, it tilted its head to look at Linlin, and then it hugged her shoe and took a bite.
However, with its tiny milk teeth, it couldn't bite through at all; it was only good for leaving some drool.
"Oh dear, you can't eat this," Linlin scolded it in her milky, childish voice.
As if it understood, the puppy sat with its head raised, staring at her blankly.
Su Lang crouched down, hugged his daughter from behind, and guided her hand to scratch the puppy under its chin a few times.
The puppy immediately narrowed its eyes in bliss and lay on the ground, whimpering softly.
"Uncle Cheng, what made you think of buying a dog?" Lin Zhilan asked Su Lang to keep an eye on the kids while she accompanied Cheng Qingshan to the living room to drink tea.
Cheng Qingshan glanced at Tu Jing. "It's all because of this kid. He said I have too much free time and should raise a dog to keep me company. Where do I have the time to raise one?"
Cheng Qingshan had merely been urging him to get married and have children, saying that if he had kids, the house would be livelier.
Tu Jing turned right around and gifted him a dog.
Saying that raising a dog would also make things lively.
Tu Jing laughed. "Raising a dog isn't much trouble. You can just have Sister Li feed it usually, and when you go for your morning exercises, you can bring it along to keep you company."
"Look at him..." Cheng Qingshan pointed at Tu Jing in exasperation and said to Lin Zhilan, "He just doesn't want to let me have any peace."
Lin Zhilan could tell that this superior and subordinate got along almost like a real father and son.
So, she just smiled and didn't interject.
It really was a good idea.
A puppy could at least greatly alleviate an elderly person's sense of loneliness, and dogs are loyal to their owners and capable.
Cheng Qingshan lived alone, so having a dog was quite nice.
Lin Zhilan silently cheered for Tu Jing in her heart.
Then, she took out the prepared lamb paste, beef and mushroom paste, dried vegetables... bringing them all out.
They filled up the entire coffee table.
"You can mix these pastes with rice on their own, or have Sister Li stir-fry them with dishes when cooking; they're delicious either way. These two jars of lamb paste might have a bit of a gamey smell when cold, so remember to heat them up when you eat..."
Ever since Lin Zhilan learned yesterday that all of Cheng Qingshan's children had sacrificed their lives, she had felt a bit uneasy in her heart.
Coming over this time, her reminders became somewhat incessant.
Cheng Qingshan frowned at the table full of things. "I don't lack anything here, why did you bring so much? And the lamb, I took that back as a gift for your parents-in-law, and now you've cooked it and brought it back to me. It makes me look like I have no manners."
"I kept some at home. These are for you, and I brought them all from the island. I'm not using the Su family's things to give you gifts," Lin Zhilan said in exasperation.
Hearing her unfriendly tone, Cheng Qingshan immediately softened. "Still, there's no need for so much."
"How is it too much?" Seeing the old man being stubborn, Lin Zhilan raised her voice too. "The weather is cold right now. You can leave it outside to freeze, and it won't go bad. By the time it thaws, you'll definitely be able to finish it."
Normally, no one dared to speak to Cheng Qingshan like this.
Not even Tu Jing dared.
But Cheng Qingshan wasn't angry in the slightest. Instead, he coaxed her gently, "Don't be angry, I'll accept it, alright?"
Tu Jing inadvertently looked over.
There truly was always one thing to conquer another.
The old man had met his match.
Today there was a large table full of people again.
Sister Li started preparing the meal early on.
Lin Zhilan rolled up her sleeves and said, "Sister Li, don't make so many dishes today. We've all gotten sick of eating meat during the New Year period. Let's just make more dumplings today, both meat and vegetarian ones."
Sister Li looked at Cheng Qingshan.
Cheng Qingshan waved his hand. "Just listen to Zhilan."
