Lu Weiguo, upon hearing this, immediately put down the long chopsticks in his hand, looked up toward the second floor, and shouted loudly. His voice was booming, carrying the authority of an old village chief, causing the floorboards to tremble slightly: “Brat! Get down here!”
Lu Zhiye, upstairs, heard Grandpa’s roar and stiffened all over.
He no longer dared to be stubborn. He slowly made his way downstairs, dragging his feet, and stood by the table with his head lowered. Gone was his usual wildness and arrogance—he looked just like a primary school student who had done something wrong.
Lu Weiguo raised his hand and smacked Lu Zhiye on the arm. The force was neither too heavy nor too light.
Unable to contain his disappointment, he said, “You brat! Nuonuo came all the way here to see you, and you yelled at her? I think your skin’s gotten too tight—you’re asking for a beating!”
Lu Zhiye let out a muffled grunt, stubbornly keeping his mouth shut, though his peripheral vision couldn’t help but sneak glances at Su Nuonuo.
He saw that she had puffed-up cheeks, red-rimmed eyes, and was hiding委屈 (grievously wronged) behind Grandpa, clutching at Grandpa’s clothes with her small hands while revealing only half of her face.
His heart instantly softened completely, but he still forced himself to say stiffly, “Who told her to call out randomly…”
“What’s wrong with calling you Little Ye? It’s affectionate!” Lu Weiguo glared at him fiercely.
He then immediately changed into a kind and gentle expression, pulled Su Nuonuo over, and gently rubbed her hair while softly coaxing her, “Nuonuo, don’t be upset. This brat just has a bad mouth and doesn’t know how to speak properly.”
Su Nuonuo rolled her eyes slightly, as if thinking of something. Her voice was soft, still carrying a faint sobbing tone as she continued to complain: “Grandpa, he always yells at me at school too. He even said I’m haunting him and that I’m meddling.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Weiguo became even more furious. He reached out and knocked Lu Zhiye on the head again.
“What’s wrong with a girl not minding that you’re withdrawn and taking the initiative to be your friend? She even came all this way early in the morning to see you, and you try to drive her away instead? I think you don’t want to eat breakfast—you can stay hungry!”
Lu Zhiye kept his head lowered as he was reprimanded. His ears turned red as if they were about to drip blood. He didn’t dare argue another word, and his regret filled him to the brim.
Yet he still couldn’t bring himself to apologize properly, only muttering in a low voice, “I didn’t really tell her to leave…”
His voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, but Su Nuonuo heard it clearly.
She secretly curled the corners of her lips upward, then quickly composed her expression again, continuing to look wronged—though the smile hidden in her eyes was impossible to conceal.
Having lived most of his life, Lu Weiguo could easily see through the little schemes of the two children.
Smiling, he shook his head to smooth things over, then turned to scoop a freshly fried dough stick from the oil pan onto a plate and placed it into Su Nuonuo’s hands.
Smiling warmly, he coaxed her, “Nuonuo, eat this. It’s just out of the pan—very fragrant. Don’t take this brat’s behavior to heart. Come often in the future, and Grandpa will fry you dough sticks and make sweet soy milk every day.”
After saying that, he turned to instruct Lu Zhiye: “Apologize to Nuonuo! Hurry up! What kind of behavior is that, dragging your feet like this!”
Lu Zhiye slowly lifted his eyes and met Su Nuonuo’s peach-blossom eyes, which curved like crescents and hid traces of a smile.
His throat moved again. After hesitating for a long while, he finally squeezed out a hoarse, stiff sentence: “…I was wrong.”
Su Nuonuo took a bite of the crispy dough stick, the aroma filling her mouth. With her brows and eyes curved, she responded softly and somewhat proudly, “It’s good that you know you were wrong~”
Her heart felt sweet and satisfied—she had finally gotten revenge for being yelled at.
What made it even sweeter was that in this lifetime, she had finally come to his and Grandpa’s side so early.
As they fussed around, the dough sticks were nearly all sold out, and the stall was left without any customers.
The three of them finally had a moment to rest. Su Nuonuo sat down first, reached out, and gently tugged on Lu Zhiye’s sleeve, looking up at him with a smile.
“Come sit. Let’s eat breakfast while it’s still hot.”
Her fingertips brushed against the slightly cool skin of his wrist, the touch light and soft, carrying a hint of coquettishness. Lu Zhiye looked down at her and, without hesitation, sat down beside her.
Lu Weiguo brought over two bowls of steaming sweet soy milk and placed freshly fried dough sticks and hot tea eggs on the table, filling it with a homely atmosphere. “Eat quickly before it gets cold.”
Su Nuonuo held the warm porcelain bowl and sipped the soy milk in small mouthfuls, the sweet warmth flowing from her tongue to her heart.
Lu Zhiye sat across from her, head lowered as he picked at a dough stick. His ears were still red, yet he silently pushed a peeled tea egg toward her bowl, his movements awkward yet earnest.
“Nuonuo, eat more. Look how thin you are,” Lu Weiguo said as he added dough sticks to her plate, his eyes full of warmth. “This kid has a bad mouth, but he’s not bad at heart. Come often in the future—Grandpa will make you sugar cakes.”
Su Nuonuo bit into the tea egg and softly replied, “Thank you, Grandpa. I love sweet food the most.”
She looked up and met Lu Zhiye’s gaze. He quickly averted his eyes, pretending to focus on eating the dough stick, though his ears turned even redder.
The dough sticks on the table were crispy, and the soy milk was sweet. Su Nuonuo ate happily, her eyes curved with contentment. She looked at him and said, “Lu Zhiye, Grandpa’s dough sticks taste ten times better than the ones outside the school gate.”
Lu Zhiye gave a muffled “mm,” then added another half a dough stick into her bowl, his voice low and slightly hoarse: “If you like them, then eat more.”
Lu Weiguo watched the two children and couldn’t hide the smile at the corners of his mouth. He quietly stepped back to the stove to busy himself, leaving the two of them to sit together peacefully.
Morning light streamed through the window, falling onto the boy and girl. It was warm and gentle. In the modest little house, there was a sense of quiet, delicate sweetness.
As Su Nuonuo ate, she suddenly remembered the days in her previous life when she had sat alone in an empty room drinking cold soy milk. The tip of her nose turned slightly sour.
Yet she quickly curved her eyes into a smile again. It was good—this time, she could share a warm breakfast with him.
After breakfast, Su Nuonuo helped clean up the dishes. Lu Zhiye grabbed her wrist and pulled her to a quiet spot at the entrance of the alley.
The morning light slanted across his sharply defined face. The faint redness that hadn’t yet faded from his ears made his features appear even colder and more rigid as he said in a low voice, “Don’t come again in the future.”
Su Nuonuo froze slightly. Her fingers tightened around the hem of her clothes as she looked up at him, her eyes full of determination. “Why?”
“No reason,” Lu Zhiye replied, avoiding her gaze as his throat bobbed. His tone was stiff. “My home isn’t a good place, and there’s no need for you to get too close to me.”
He feared that this delicate little girl’s interest was only temporary—that she would turn around and no longer recognize him.
Su Nuonuo stepped half a step closer, her nose nearly brushing his arm as she said in a soft yet firm voice, each word striking straight into his heart: “Lu Zhiye, I didn’t come here on a whim. I came to pursue you.”
Hearing this again!
Lu Zhiye stiffened all over and abruptly turned to look at her. His dark eyes surged with shock, quickly replaced by a layer of guarded coldness.
His heart trembled violently, feeling absurd yet bitter.
With her privileged background and soft, delicate appearance, always surrounded by admiration, how could she truly be pursuing him? She must have just taken pity on him.
If his parents were still alive, perhaps he could—
His throat tightened as he suppressed the faint, inappropriate stirrings in his heart. With a cold tone, he sneered deliberately, distancing himself: “Su Nuonuo, stop messing around.”
“Who’s messing around with you?” Su Nuonuo stood on tiptoe, forcing him to look directly into her eyes. Her peach-blossom eyes shimmered with seriousness, without the slightest hint of joking. “I’m serious. Lu Zhiye, I’m going to pursue you. In this lifetime, I’ve set my heart on you.”
Just as she moved closer, she suddenly couldn’t control herself and threw herself forward, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and hugging him. She buried her nose into the clean fabric of his clothes and muffled softly, “Lu Zhiye, I want a hug.”