Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1362 Mischief

Chen Xiaohui immediately grasped the key point and ran over to tug at Xiaohong's clothes: "Aunt Zhang, you can make a sled?"

Several little ones gathered around, their bright eyes gazing up at Xiao Hong with reverence and admiration.

Xiao Hong was overjoyed and pinched each of their cheeks: "I can't make them well, so wait until winter when they're frozen and have your Uncle Zhang make them for you."

"Wow, Uncle Zhang is amazing!"

Xiao Wei smiled and said, "Okay, I'll make one for each of you when it snows."

Wang Yan brushed her hair back: "Uncle, Uncle, did you make a sled with kickstands?"

Beibei asked, "How big? How big can it be?"

Chen Xiaohui had never played before and didn't even know what it was like, but he still chimed in, "I want to be the big one, the boss."

Xiao Wei asked Wang Yan, "You like ones with leg supports? Okay, I'll make you one with leg supports, a big one for both of you."

Chen Hui thought for a while and then asked, "What foot support? Isn't it a hand support?"

Xiao Hong said, "I know, you turn with your foot, Xiao Wei did it for me."

Xiao Wei said, "It's basically a sled with a beam added to the front, and a footrest in front so you can turn freely. You can turn by pushing off with your feet. It's not good if you go too fast, otherwise you won't be able to turn and it will easily tip over. It's usually girls who play this kind of thing."

Chen Xiao asked, "Isn't a sled the kind of thing you use in the countryside to haul firewood and other things in the winter?"

Xiao Wei shook his head: "You said those are snow sleds for working, but these are just for kids to play with, ice sleds, they can't run on the snow."

Xiao Hong said, "Sledding is more fun than this, but there's nowhere else to do it around here."

Xiao Wei thought for a moment, then shook his head: "Oh my god, just thinking about it makes me cold. When I was a kid, I didn't seem to feel cold at all. I dared to do anything and play with anything. Now, if you asked me to take a big sled up the mountain to climb a slope, I wouldn't go."

Xiao Hong thought for a moment and said, "I really want to play. But it's really cold. It would be more fun to fall into a snow pit and then dig them out one by one."

Xiao Wei said, "Back then, we were reckless and daring, there wasn't much else to do. Nowadays, fewer rural kids play like that. It's too dangerous."

The autumn wind swept across the lake, creating ripples, and its chill made pedestrians quicken their pace. Chen Xiao moved to Chen Hui's other side to shield him from the wind, and Chen Hui said, "See, our physique is still useful, isn't it? Look at Xiao Wei, he's like a tree trunk."

Xiao Wei covered Lele's face with his clothes: "It's definitely getting colder. It feels colder this year than last year."

Xiao Hong hadn't left the house for over a month, but she wasn't afraid of the cold at all. She looked around and even ran over to play with a few children, her laughter carrying far across the lake.

After crossing the small bridge, a row of bars was preparing to open. Zhuang Mazi stood at the entrance and greeted Xiaowei and Chen Hui: "Taking a stroll?"

Xiao Wei nodded to Zhuang Mazi: "Let's take a look around. How's business?"

Zhuang Mazi came over and offered him a cigarette: "It's alright, just getting by."

After exchanging a few words, the group of people, holding their children's hands, continued walking forward. The street was quite crowded, mostly with young people looking for thrills.

As the crowd crossed Di'anmen Street and turned into Fangzhuanchang Hutong, the trees on both sides of the street had already lost their shade, and the branches stubbornly reached towards the sky. Various small shops along the street had turned on their lights, hoping that there would be more tourists today.

The narrow alley was mostly filled with tourists from other places, wandering aimlessly with curious eyes. They would occasionally be attracted by something in a small shop on the street, and would turn in to take a look, hoping to bring some hope to the shop owner.

The group wasn't idle either; soon, adults and children alike were carrying snacks and eating as they walked—skewers, candied hawthorns, fried chicken strips—the street was overflowing with food stalls, and there was something for everyone to tempt you.

Ma San's daughter-in-law simply took the snacks home. The children were used to it and didn't complain about being reluctant to leave. They waved goodbye to their aunt and then ran excitedly into the bookstore's courtyard.

The aroma of baking wafted through the yard. The flowers and plants were gone, and only a few wintersweet bushes stood on the newly planted soil. The leaves hadn't been burned; they were simply tossed into the soil and scattered around the yard, creating a unique ambiance.

The fish in the pond have been moved to the fish tank inside the house, preparing for the winter.

"Brother Xiaowei, Brother Chen, brother-in-law, you guys need to come and do something about this! My sister won't let me call you guys, I'm so angry!"

Xiaoxue's exasperated voice came through the air.

The three children had already crawled inside; you could hear the clattering of their footsteps on the stairs. That's the downside of wooden stairs—they're too noisy.

"What's wrong?" Xiaowei asked Xiaoxue, who was standing inside the door with her hands on her hips.

"Two guys who hang out in bars have been pestering Sister Xuemei every day for the past two days. They're clingy and shameless, and you can't get rid of them. They keep saying they'll introduce resources for Sister Xuemei to sing and act, and they're making all sorts of boastful claims."

"I already said I wasn't interested, but they keep going on and on. Today they even wanted to go upstairs to the west end. They're shameless. They even said they'd put on a show here, guaranteeing it would be a hit. What use are they?"

Xiao Wei looked inside: "Where is everyone? Still here?" There were quite a few customers in the shop, some reading, some chatting, and some slowly sipping coffee or tea.

Xiaoxue pouted and pointed upstairs: "They're making a cake upstairs, they're just trying to take advantage of Sister Xuemei. It's so annoying."

Xiao Wei nodded: "In the future, if there's anything like this, don't ask your sister Xuemei, just call me directly. Sister Xuemei is too soft-hearted."

Wang Jiwei asked, "Where is Yang Ying?"

Xiaoxue said, "They're upstairs. If Sister Yangying hadn't stopped them, they would have gone into the west end. It was so annoying."

Chen Hui asked, "You come every day?"

Xiaoxue said, "I haven't been coming every day these past few days. I just think Sister Xuemei is too soft-hearted and easy to bully."

Xiao Wei handed Lele to Xiao Hong and went upstairs. The others followed Xiao Wei upstairs.

"Can you guys hurry up? You've been taking up space for hours, and there are other people here too." As soon as Xiao Wei went upstairs, a boy's voice reached his ears.

The homemade birthday cake business is doing quite well. It attracted students from the Central Academy of Drama as soon as it opened, and then word of it gradually spread.

Making a birthday cake for your boyfriend or girlfriend yourself on their birthday is considered quite romantic by young couples.

"Hey, we still have the tools, what's wrong, little guy? Your boss hasn't said anything yet and you're already getting impatient? What, are you going to refuse to pay me?"

Xiao Wei went inside and looked around. All five turntables were occupied, and two young couples were queuing up to watch.

Two men who looked like "artsy" types: one with a small braid and a beard, the other clean-shaven with long, flowing hair tied back with a handkerchief. On the turntable in front of them sat a half-finished cake that looked utterly pathetic.

Usually, people who come to have cakes made just need some flowers, chocolate decorations, and some lace and words, and that's it. But these two guys seem determined to make a three-dimensional design.

This is something that can't be done without a period of training; this is just deliberately making things difficult for them.

(End of this chapter)