Shocking! A three-year-old brings his aloof mother to their door.

He Wanqing wiped her mouth with a napkin, nodded, and said sincerely, "You guys really know how to find places that are cheap and delicious."

She thought for a moment and added, "And...it's very down-to-earth."

This was a vibrant and lively warmth she had never experienced in those upscale restaurants.

Seeing her contented expression, Mo Ye felt a surge of happiness. He finished the last sip of his iced tea and suggested:

"Shall we go back? I wonder if Wan Ning and Tong Tong have gone home yet."

He Wanqing nodded, and the two stood up.

As they stepped out of the cubicle, Grandma Hua was busy. Seeing them come out, she quickly waved and said, "You're leaving already? Come again next time!"

"I'll definitely come, Grandma Hua," Mo Ye replied.

"Goodbye, Grandma Hua, thank you for your hospitality," He Wanqing said politely.

Stepping out of the shop, the afternoon sun was a bit dazzling. The hustle and bustle of the street returned to my ears.

He Wanqing naturally took Mo Ye's arm and gently rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm very happy today," she said softly.

Mo Ye looked down at her, sunlight dancing on her long eyelashes. He tightened his grip on her hand:

"Me too."

The first date had no expensive gifts and no fancy venue.

All you need is a kiss at the top of the Ferris wheel, a bouquet of flowers and a cup of milk tea, a 20-yuan pork trotter rice, and a 4-yuan iced tea.

And someone who is willing to enter each other's world and savor the simplest yet most authentic flavors of each other's lives.

Perhaps this is the most beautiful form of love.

Simple, warm, and full of the warmth of everyday life.

And a heart willing to succumb to it.

......

He Wanning, holding Tongtong's hand, the two of them, one big and one small, sneaked back to the entrance of the He family's old house. Before they could even breathe a sigh of relief—

Then I saw Ms. Jiang Shuya standing in the entrance hall.

In his hand, he was holding a feather duster.

On her face was a gentle smile that was almost unsettling.

Tongtong was so frightened that she tightened her grip on He Wanning's clothes and whispered:

"Auntie...it seems...we've been exposed..."

He Wanning looked at the familiar "instrument of torture" in her mother's hand, her expression also became solemn, and she nodded.

In the few seconds that the two exchanged a "we're doomed" look, Jiang Shuya's gaze had already shifted from He Wanning to the person next to her—

He was dark and filthy, with streaks of gray on his face, looking like a little dumpling just dug out of a coal pile.

Jiang Shuya's smile vanished instantly.

She strode forward, scooped Tongtong away from He Wanning, and then—

"Snapped!"

The feather duster struck He Wanning's arm squarely.

"Ouch—!" He Wanning jumped up in pain. "Mom! What are you doing!"

Jiang Shuya laughed out of anger: "What did I do? What do you think I did?!"

She gently placed Tongtong on the ground and pointed at He Wanning's nose:

"He Wanning! You've really made something of yourself! You can steal melons and dates all you want!"

Now you're even bringing Tongtong along! How old is she?! Three years old! And this is what you're teaching her?!

While rubbing her arm, He Wanning asked in surprise, "Mom, how did you know?"

They were being very careful!

They were even wearing masks!

Although the mask had long been lost during the escape...

Jiang Shuya sneered, took out her phone, unlocked the screen, and shoved it directly in front of He Wanning.

On the screen was the photo sent by my old neighbor—

He Wanning carried the masked Tongtong as they ran wildly along the mountain road. Tongtong was also tightly clutching a pile of sweet potatoes in her arms, grinning from ear to ear.

The photos are quite well-taken, capturing the morning light, the woods, the running figures, and even a touch of nonchalance.

If we ignore the fact that they were "stealing" sweet potatoes.

He Wanning: "…………"

She was completely heartbroken.

The suspect was caught red-handed, and the evidence was irrefutable.

"You even took Tongtong to steal chickens and dogs!" Jiang Shuya became increasingly angry as she spoke, raising a feather duster as if to hit her again. "Just wait and see how I deal with you today!"

Just then, a small, dark hand gently tugged at Jiang Shuya's trouser leg.

Tongtong tilted her little face up, blinking her big eyes, her face full of seriousness and a little bit of grievance.

She twirled her little finger and corrected her in a childish voice:

"Grandma...we didn't steal chickens or dogs..."

Jiang Shuya paused, looking down at her.

Tongtong continued to explain, her tone completely serious: "We just... went to steal sweet potatoes~ The chicks and the dog... we didn't steal them."

After she finished speaking, she nodded vigorously, as if to emphasize that what she said was the truth.

Jiang Shuya: "…………"

He Wanning almost burst out laughing, but quickly held it in.

Seeing that her grandmother wasn't speaking, Tongtong assumed she was still angry, so she quickly stretched out her little arms, hugged Jiang Shuya's leg, rubbed her face against it, and pleaded in a soft, sweet voice:

"Grandma, please forgive Auntie and me! We won't dare to mess with you again! We really won't!"

That little face was so pitiful and adorable, it was impossible to be cruel to her.

Jiang Shuya looked down at her little granddaughter, who was obediently admitting her mistakes and even acting cute, and her heart had already softened halfway.

But when she looked up again and saw her little daughter next to her, arms crossed, head tilted, with a look that said, "I did nothing wrong, I'll do it again next time," her anger flared up again.

"He Wanning! Look at you! It's one thing to steal dates from the neighbor's house and melons from Aunt Zhang's house when you were little! But now you're such a grown woman!"

You even stole things! And you studied law! You knowingly broke the law! How do you expect me to save face?!

She was absolutely furious. She had been leisurely watching a family drama when her phone suddenly rang.

It was a WeChat message from an old neighbor, not an accusatory one, but a cheerful sharing:

"Shuya, I just saw Wanning playing with your little granddaughter in the back hill!"

The little guy running around with his face covered and a sweet potato in his arms was so cute! I snapped a picture to keep as a souvenir for you! [Picture]

The neighbor genuinely thought it was cute, which is why she shared it with her.

But when Jiang Shuya looked at the two masked "thieves" in the photo, she felt her blood pressure soar.

She picked up Tongtong and headed to the bathroom, intending to clean the little kitten first.

As he passed by He Wanning, he couldn't resist sticking out his index finger and poking her head hard.

"You're pretty smart! You even know to wear a mask! Do you think you're Zorro?"

He Wanning shrank her neck.

"Don't you think about it? Out of these twenty or so households, only a few have children!"

Tongtong is so big, and she's the only child!

The others are either in elementary school or still being breastfed!

What's the point of covering your face?

"When people see her height, her clothes, and that tuft of hair sticking up, who else could it be but our Tongtong?!"

He Wanning: "…………"

She really hadn't thought that much about it.

Jiang Shuya was disappointed in him:

"Why aren't you even half as smart as your sister?"

.........