After ducking into the pedestrian mall downtown for a while, Li Yundong and Su Chan relaxed their guard when they saw Lin Youfa hadn't pursued them. The little girl started curiously observing the street, tugging at Li Yundong’s arm. “Yundong, this place looks so familiar!”
Li Yundong chuckled. “You silly girl, isn't this where we bought clothes last time?”
Su Chan’s eyes suddenly lit up. “I want to go shopping again!”
Li Yundong shuddered internally. Don't joke like that. Buying clothes last time almost bankrupted me. If you go again, I’ll have to sell a kidney!
Li Yundong glared at Su Chan with mock anger. “Shop for what? No money!”
Su Chan murmured, puffing out her cheeks. She dragged Li Yundong’s clothes as she walked, her eyes fixed longingly on the array of garments displayed in the specialty shops lining both sides of the mall. After a moment, she couldn't help but whisper timidly, “Can I just look? I won’t buy anything, okay?”
Li Yundong felt a pang of anxiety, managing a wry smile. “If I had money, I’d buy both these streets for you. But alas, we’re broke right now, aren’t we?”
Su Chan sighed again, withdrawing her gaze reluctantly. She looped her arm through his. “Master, your little girl must cause you a lot of trouble, right?”
Li Yundong laughed. “Trouble how?”
Su Chan looked pitiable. “Your little girl is always making you spend money. You’re not getting tired of me, are you?”
Li Yundong felt a mix of heartache and self-reproach. “Nonsense. It’s my fault; I should earn lots and lots of money for you to spend!”
At this, Li Yundong couldn’t help but sigh again. “I finally landed a job from Manager Cao, and now it looks like that’s gone south too. Sigh, I must have some kind of feud with money in this lifetime!”
Su Chan softly comforted him from the side. “Master, you’ll definitely be rich, so rich, in the future. Your little girl has faith in you!”
Li Yundong gazed intently at Su Chan for a long moment, then smiled, deeply moved. “Little girl, why are you so good?”
Su Chan giggled, her eyes crinkling into thin slits. “If your little girl is this good, do you like me or not?”
Li Yundong waved a grand hand. “Like you? Of course, I like you!”
Su Chan grinned so widely she seemed to have no nose or eyes. “I like myself very much too!”
Li Yundong roared with laughter, vigorously ruffling the little girl’s hair. “You really are adorable! Come on, I can’t afford clothes for you today, but I can certainly afford to treat you to some snacks!”
Su Chan shrieked and dodged his grasping hand, about to pout, but then heard he was taking her out to eat, instantly beaming. “Okay, okay! I want that one!”
Saying that, she pointed to the grilled squid skewers being cooked at a stall in the pedestrian mall.
Li Yundong hesitated. “Those things are spicy. Aren't you afraid of getting zits on your face?”
Su Chan chuckled. “I’m already in the Foundation Establishment stage, I’m not afraid!”
Li Yundong sighed. “Now that you mention it, I realize I haven’t reached Foundation Establishment yet. I’ve been held up by all these tedious worldly affairs!”
Su Chan laughed. “We’ll do it when we get back. Don't rush. Let’s eat first!”
Li Yundong nodded and led Su Chan to the barbecue stall. He bought six skewers of grilled squid—three each—and they walked and ate. When they reached the entrance of McDonald's, the little girl pointed at the fake Ronald McDonald statue outside. “I want ice cream from here!”
Li Yundong said dotingly, “Sure, sure!”
They walked to the takeout window for ice cream. Li Yundong said, “Two sundaes, please.”
The server inside asked, “What flavors?”
Li Yundong turned to ask the little girl, “What flavor do you want?”
The little girl was enjoying the grilled squid immensely, sucking in air from the spice. Fanning her mouth, she asked, “What flavors do you have?”
The server introduced them. “We have chocolate, vanilla, taro, and others.”
Su Chan looked at Li Yundong, utterly clueless about what those three flavors tasted like. She glanced at the grilled squid in her hand, then suddenly asked, “Do you have a spicy-numbing flavor?”
The server’s eye twitched slightly, unsure how to respond, and she looked to Li Yundong for help.
Li Yundong choked with laughter, his mischievous streak resurfacing. He said to the server with a deadpan expression, “The little girl is just fooling around; please ignore her.”
The server let out a couple of dry chuckles and asked stiffly, “So, what flavors would you like?”
Li Yundong thought seriously for a moment and then declared, “Get her a garlic flavor!”
The server’s eye twitched again, caught between laughter and exasperation. But seeing Li Yundong’s earnest face, she couldn't tell if he was joking, so she patiently explained, “Sir, we don’t have those two flavors of ice cream here.”
Li Yundong looked genuinely surprised. “Really? But I get them at KFC!”
The server was shocked. “Huh? KFC sells spicy-numbing and garlic sundaes?”
Li Yundong looked even more surprised than she was. “How come you don’t know?”
The server looked utterly bewildered and horrified. “I... I didn’t know!”
Li Yundong barely suppressed his laughter; his insides were nearly bursting with mirth. He said with a tone of reproach, “Sigh, you guys really are behind the times! Your product updates can’t keep up! Forget it, just give me one vanilla and one chocolate. Ah, what a buzzkill!”
The server, looking wronged, prepared the two sundaes and handed them over.
Li Yundong searched his pockets and realized he had given all his money to Su Chan, so he told her, “Hey, the payment!”
Su Chan murmured, pulled out her money, and handed it to Li Yundong.
Li Yundong paid and pulled Su Chan away, sighing dramatically as they walked. This left the server looking confused and uneasy, muttering to herself, Does KFC really have spicy-numbing and garlic sundaes? What would that taste like? Is it even edible? I should try it after my shift!
Li Yundong and Su Chan hid around a corner, doubled over with laughter.
Su Chan, meanwhile, was carefully spooning her ice cream and blinking her big eyes at Li Yundong, completely baffled as to why he was laughing so hard.
After eating some ice cream, Su Chan suddenly seemed to remember something and exclaimed, “Wait, wait! Didn’t you say you were treating me? Why did I have to pay?”
Li Yundong laughed. “Oh, are you counting pennies with me now, little girl?”
Su Chan blushed slightly and smiled coyly. “I heard on TV that if a girl controls a man’s money, he can’t run away!”
Li Yundong burst into hearty laughter and pinched her nose. “I knew watching too many soap operas was bad for you! Alright, alright, you manage it! Come on, I’ll take you to buy something to manage the money with!”
With that, Li Yundong led the little girl on a wandering tour of the pedestrian mall until they found a small accessory shop. Li Yundong picked out a pink piggy bank with a little lock and key, handing it to Su Chan. “If you have money in the future, put it in here, okay?”
Su Chan beamed and snatched the piggy bank, hugging it tight. “It’s so pretty! Your little girl loves it!”
Li Yundong smiled. “You like it, huh?”
Su Chan nodded vigorously and bounced toward the exit. Li Yundong quickly grabbed her. “Hey, hey, the money!”
Su Chan looked conflicted. “Huh? I pay again?” She reluctantly pulled out the money.
Li Yundong laughed and chided her. “I never realized you were such a miser!” He tapped her forehead lightly with one finger.
Su Chan clutched the piggy bank in one arm and covered her forehead with the other, sticking out a funny face at Li Yundong.
After buying the silly thing and stepping outside, Su Chan turned her back to Li Yundong and carefully tucked the money into the bank. When she slid the last bill in, Li Yundong suddenly rushed over and snatched the piggy bank away by surprise, holding it high above his head and laughing triumphantly.
Su Chan was furious, clinging to Li Yundong like a koala bear, trying to wrestle the piggy bank from his grasp. “Give it back, you bad man! Give it back now!”
Li Yundong laughed heartily, playing with the little girl for a while before handing the bank back to her. Su Chan took it, looked at it left and right, and felt something was missing. After studying it closely, she noticed the lock was bare and lonely. She slapped her head and pounced on Li Yundong again. “The key! Give me back the key!”
Li Yundong laughed, clutching his fist tightly. “Not giving it! You have to snatch it back yourself.”
The little girl angrily pried open his fingers one by one—nothing! She moved to the fingers on his other hand, separating them one by one—still nothing!
Su Chan pouted, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes, on the verge of spilling.
Li Yundong was alarmed; the little girl was about to cry! He quickly pulled out the key and handed it to her.
Su Chan instantly stopped crying and broke into a smile, taking the key. She shook her head. “Hmph! Now all your money is in my hands! Master, you have to listen to your little girl from now on!”
With that, Su Chan triumphantly stuffed the key into the piggy bank as well, then held the bank tightly to her chest. “Let’s see you try and snatch it now!”
Li Yundong leaned back and forth, howling with laughter. “You great idiot, you put the key in too? How are you going to open it later?”
“Ah? Right!” Su Chan suddenly realized. She quickly pulled out the piggy bank and tugged at the lock, but it wouldn't budge. Her eyes glazed over as she looked at Li Yundong. “W-what do we do?”
Li Yundong suppressed a laugh and pinched her cheek. “Now you know how pigs die? Killed by stupidity! Stupid pig! We’ll just have to smash it open when you need money later! Now, let’s go home!”
“Okay!” Su Chan responded with a pout, miserably hugging the piggy bank. She walked along with Li Yundong for a bit, then suddenly thought of something and looked up to ask, “But if I can’t open the bank, what if you secretly take the money when I’m not around?”
Li Yundong was speechless with amusement. “If you can’t open it, do you think I can? What’s your IQ?”
Su Chan blinked her eyes. “What’s IQ?”
Li Yundong slapped his forehead. “Forget it, I won’t say anything more. Let’s go home, go home. We’ve been out for so long, that fellow probably won’t chase us anymore.”
As he spoke, a thought struck him. “Wait, do you think they might be waiting for us at the place we’re staying?”
Su Chan’s mind was entirely preoccupied with the piggy bank she held. She said casually, “Probably not.”
Li Yundong considered it. “Never mind. Let’s go back, grab our things, and head to the hotel! If necessary, we can terminate the lease on that place; we can still get some of the deposit back!”
The two hailed a cab back. When they reached the door of their residence, Su Chan remembered that a hot meal made by Li Yundong awaited her, and she couldn't help but smile happily, urging him, “Hurry up and open the door! Hurry up! I’m starving!”
Li Yundong sighed as he unlocked the door. “Sigh, why are you always thinking about food? Didn’t you eat plenty just now? Are you hungry again? You’re still growing, aren’t you?”
Su Chan’s eyes curved into crescents. “Yes! How did you know?”
Li Yundong opened the door, switching his shoes by the entrance, and teased maliciously, “Of course, I know. I check your body often! Come here, come here, Master needs to examine your body!”
Su Chan had also come in and changed her shoes, and she giggled, about to reply, when her face suddenly changed drastically, and she let out a loud cry: “Yundong, watch out!”
In that instant, a figure materialized behind Li Yundong—a person shaped like a monkey, moving with the force of a cannon, launching a punch straight toward Li Yundong’s solar plexus!
Almost simultaneously, another figure appeared in the living room, shouting fiercely, “Fiend, submit now!” With that, a streak of azure light shot directly toward Su Chan!
[Ti: Dear reader, the current chapter has reached the final page of this book]