Chapter 37.1
Little Zhao Xiaosong’s ice powder stall has been making a fortune recently, enough to afford a full payment for a four-layered pink princess dress for little Miao Miao.
So, Zhao Xiaosong decided to close his business for a day and take Miao Miao with him to Lu Yao’s place to enjoy some free food, drinks, and watermelon.
Of course, in return for the hospitality, he brought a portion of ice powder for everyone at the inn. The ice powder was generously topped with thick red sugar, a full spoonful of sweet fermented rice wine, and a layer of Ms. Zhao’s special glutinous rice cakes.
It hadn’t rained for two or three days, and the plants on the mountain, used to regular watering, looked a bit droopy. Lu Yao, concerned they might wither, took a small watering can and watered each plant.
Yu Le then sat under a tree with Zhao Xiaosong and Miao Miao, enjoying the ice powder.
The glutinous rice cakes were so delicious that Yu Le ate his own portion and, with Lu Yao’s permission, finished Lu Yao’s portion of rice cakes as well. Finally, feeling satisfied, he started eating watermelon.
It was great; he had saved on lunch.
When Long Fei burst in excitedly, Lu Yao was moving a small pink chair from the corner to a more prominent spot.
This chair was Yu Le’s favorite, and besides that, Lu Yao wanted to give it a special place, letting it bask in the sun.
Long Fei first came up to Yu Le and, with sincere gratitude, gave him a deep bow before announcing loudly to everyone, “Big news! My mom agreed to let me attend the police academy!”
The loud announcement startled the researchers on the third floor, making them come out to see what was going on.
Guanzheng, bothered by his thesis, got up to close a door, while Zhou Fei merely glanced out, saw it was a brash young man, and returned to his work with disinterest.
Only Wang Wenyan, holding a bowl of half-eaten ice powder, leisurely sat by the railing, eating and watching the commotion.
“Congratulations,” Lu Yao said. “How did you persuade Aunt Long?”
Long Fei grinned from ear to ear, “It’s all thanks to you, Brother Lu. Oh, and also the mountain fire yesterday… Ah, did I sound a bit rude just now? Haha.”
“In any case, soldiers are amazing! I told my mom I want to serve the people like those firefighters. If every parent, worried about their child’s safety, doesn’t let them become soldiers or police officers, who will save us next time there’s a fire on the mountain?”
“And I emphasized that you, Brother Lu, used to be a soldier, and even a special forces one.”
He proudly put his hands on his hips. “She always praised you and said I should learn from you. Now that I’ve learned, she has no reason to stop me!”
“Hey, kiddo,” Wang Wenyan called out to him, asking the question Yu Le was also curious about. “Why do you want to be a police officer so much?”
Long Fei turned towards the third floor. “Because I want to inherit my dad’s police badge. He hasn’t caught all the bad guys he wanted to, so I’m going to help him catch them!”
Every police officer has a unique badge number, which is like their “ID card” and accompanies them from the beginning of their career until retirement.
If an officer dies in the line of duty, the badge number is permanently retired.
When a retired badge number is reactivated, it signifies that the fallen officer’s child has inherited their legacy and continues the mission they couldn’t complete.
Yu Le suddenly found the watermelon in his mouth to be less sweet and a bit dry.
Wang Wenyan smiled and gave him a thumbs-up, “Nice, you’ve got guts and are a real man.”
Lu Yao clapped his hands and walked over, ruffling Yu Le’s hair as he passed by. “Being a soldier is tough, and staying in the police academy isn’t easy either. If you can stick with it, then go for it.”
“I know, I’m not afraid of hard work!”
Long Fei rubbed his hands together, eyes shining brightly as he stared at Lu Yao. “Brother Lu, I came here to experience it beforehand!”
Lu Yao asked, “What do you want to experience?”
“Uh… How about a takedown technique?!”
He mimicked a move he had seen on TV, trying out a dramatic gesture. “You know, the kind that’s super cool, takes down opponents with one move, and looks really awesome and manly!”
“Sure,” Lu Yao said, showing him his hand. “Come here.”
Long Fei hopped over and, just as he was about to ask how to start, a punch flew towards his face with lightning speed, creating a small gust of wind.
“Damn!”
The sensation of almost getting knocked out made Long Fei feel a chill from his heels to the top of his head. He instinctively recoiled, swearing he had never moved so fast in his life.
Unfortunately, his speed was useless in front of Lu Yao. As soon as Lu Yao grabbed his shoulder, Long Fei tried to grab Lu Yao’s wrist, but his own wrist was quickly seized instead.
With one hand holding Long Fei’s shoulder, Lu Yao turned him around and pressed him down. In an instant, Long Fei couldn’t hold up and fell to his knees with a loud thud.
“Ah! It’s so painful! Brother Lu, you’re going to break my hand!”
Lu Yao released him. “Don’t worry, it won’t break.”
“Wow! Brother Lu is awesome!” Zhao Xiaosong clapped his hands excitedly.
Yu Le joined in, “Lu Boss is amazing!”
Long Fei, both in pain and envious, said, “Brother Lu, you’re incredible, but this is too overwhelming. I didn’t get a chance to experience it.”
Lu Yao asked: “So what do you want?”
Long Fei scratched his head, thinking quickly, and then his eyes lit up. “Let’s have a push-up contest! I’m the best in our class at push-ups, I can do 28 in a minute!”
Lu Yao shrugged. “Fine.”
Long Fei eagerly chose a spot on the open ground near the well. “No time limit, whoever falls first loses.”
He immediately got into position, ready to start. “Le Le, please help us count!”
Ah, challenging a fierce tiger with the innocence of a young calf is truly adorable.
Wang Wenyan, in a good mood, squinted her eyes and looked down at the whole courtyard, accidentally noticing two additional figures at the gate.
While everyone was focused on Long Fei’s challenge, no one had noticed Cheng Xiwu and Su Hui quietly watching.
Wang Wenyan raised an eyebrow, leisurely tying up a plastic bag and carrying the trash downstairs.
Long Fei, proud of being the best at push-ups in his class, didn’t realize that from the start, Lu Yao was giving him an indiscriminate beating.
After doing 20 push-ups, Long Fei began to sweat, while Lu Yao remained unfazed, his face red and breathing steady, showing no signs of fatigue.
Zhao Xiaosong cheered Long Fei on. “Come on, Little Fei! Brother Lu has almost done 40!”
Long Fei: “…”
Lu Yao also realized this might be a bit unfair to the kid, so he decided to put one hand behind his back.
Long Fei: “…”
Why does it seem easier for Brother Lu to do one-handed push-ups than two-handed ones?!
Yu Le found the watermelon sweeter again. Lu Boss gave him a real treat, and it was very appetizing.
“Lu Boss, it’s not fair.”
Wang Wenyan tossed the trash, walked over with a graceful, alluring demeanor, and said. “You’ve trained, but the kid hasn’t. What’s the difference between using one hand and not using any?”
“What should I do then?” Zhao Xiaosong asked innocently.
Wang Wenyan replied with a knowing look at Yu Le. “I think Boss Lu should add some weight for it to be fair.”
Zhao Xiaosong: “Huh? What do you mean?”
Wang Wenyan smiled without answering, her gaze pointedly falling on Yu Le.
Yu Le: “???”
It was Yu Le’s first time sitting on someone’s back, and he was a bit inexperienced. Supporting himself on Lu Yao’s back, he cautiously shifted his weight backward.
Surprisingly, he was very stable and didn’t shake at all.
Finding he wasn’t falling, Yu Le settled comfortably and patted Lu Yao’s back. “Hey, Lu Boss, am I heavy?”
Lu Yao laughed. “Not as heavy as the sack I carried while mountain climbing during training.”
Yu Le: “You trained with a sack while climbing?”
Lu Yao: “Two sacks.”
“Ahhhhh, what the heck?!”
Long Fei was about to give up. “Brother Lu, are you even human… Why, why aren’t you even breathing hard…?!”
“Hang in there, Old Long!!”
Zhao Xiaosong, inexplicably excited, ran over with a slice of watermelon and squatted in front of Long Fei, “Hurry up and take a bite to replenish your energy!”
Seeing this, Yu Le looked at the watermelon in his hand, tore it in half, and with his arm resting on Lu Yao’s shoulder, offered the untouched half to Lu Yao’s mouth, “Come on, Brother Lu, replenish your energy too. Go for it!”
Cheng Xiwu’s expression was unpleasant, and Su Hui looked obviously out of sorts, absentmindedly staring at the courtyard, lost in thought.
Wang Wenyan glanced at Cheng Xiwu, then smilingly beckoned Su Hui over. “Miss, why are you standing so far away? Come and watch!”
Cheng Xiwu didn’t seem to like Wang Wenyan. Hearing her voice, he frowned, turning to look at Su Hui.
Su Hui walked around him and headed toward Wang Wenyan.
As soon as she stepped into the shaded area under the tree, Long Fei couldn’t hold on any longer. Exhausted and struggling, he let out two loud cries, his trembling arms finally giving out, and he fell to the ground.
“I… I can’t go on…”
He flipped over with difficulty, lying on the ground, gasping like a fish out of water. “Brother Lu… you… you’re amazing…”
“Wow! Brother Lu is amazing!”
Yu Le jumped down from Lu Yao’s back and watched as Lu Yao stood up, clapping his hands. Compared to Long Fei, who was exhausted and unable to move, Lu Yao showed no signs of intense exercise.
Long Fei took a moment to recover, sitting up and looking at Lu Yao with deep envy. “Bro, I wish I could be as awesome as you. If I were, my buddies would definitely call me ‘dad’ the moment they see me!”
Lu Yao: “My friends never called me ‘dad.’”
Long Fei: “Huh? No, no, I was just making an example—”
Lu Yao: “They only ever called me ‘grandpa.’”
Long Fei: “…”
Damn it! I’m so envious!!!
Yu Le turned and handed the largest slice of watermelon to Lu Yao. “Great job. As a reward, you’re cooking dinner tonight!”
Lu Yao took the slice, took a bite, and felt the sweetness flowing down his throat, “What do you want to eat?”
Yu Le, seeing through him, didn’t hold back. “Can you make the sweet and sour fish you made last time?”
Lu Yao countered. “What do you think?”
Yu Le: “Would you say no?”
Lu Yao raised an eyebrow.
Yu Le smiled. “I knew you would say yes.”
His smile made Lu Yao smile too, with an indulgent look in his eyes. “Mm, you can have whatever you want.”
“What do you want?”
