Chapter 2, I am an uncle, not a father

"What to take? What should I take?" Li Guo squinted as he scrutinized the old man. He only remembered his grandfather telling him to come back, but he did not recall being told to take anything, nor did he expect that Li Family Village would turn out like this

Li Guo crouched down, brushed aside the hair covering his forehead, revealing an irregular red mole beneath: "This is the mole that the dog bit..."

After enjoying a delightful meal at KFC, Li Guo called the mother of the little girl, who is also his landlady. The landlady's voice on the phone was exceptionally sweet, and she said that since you are resting today, it would be a bit of a burden, but could you please take care of Xiao Xin for me? She is a poor child, and so on.

Li Guo glanced at the villa complex not far away, and was indeed quite surprised. It is worth noting that when he left this rundown place over a decade ago, it was truly a small village, with chicken and duck droppings everywhere, flowers blooming all over the ground, and lush green grass thriving. Yet in the blink of an eye, this once impoverished area has even employed a Nokia N8 for the gatekeeper.

Are you going to abandon me after taking everything from me? Mom doesn't want me anymore, and neither do you. Xin Xin is so pitiful..." After hearing Li Guo's words, Xiao Xin pouted, and the mist in her big eyes was clearly about to rise. She was evidently prepared to cry in front of Li Guo if he shook his head.

Li Guo was taken aback for a moment, took out a pack of wet wipes, and wiped Xiao Xin's greasy little face. With wide eyes, he curiously asked her: "Why do you call me Dad?"

In the end, Li Guo escaped in a very disheveled state from the KFC, where the heating was blowing loudly. By his intuition, if he did not leave soon, those food enthusiasts might call the police, or perhaps they would directly take matters into their own hands. In front of girls under the age of fifteen, any man is always in a position of vulnerability.

This completely frightened Li Guo, who hurriedly helped the old man up from the ground and patted the dust off his clothes, saying, "Aren't you shortening my life..."

"If you keep causing trouble, I will send you to kindergarten!" Li Guo was already so embarrassed that he felt like dying, and could only pinch the chubby cheeks of Xiao Xin: "Behave and finish your meal. After you finish, I still have to take care of some matters. You can go home and watch Pleasant Goat by yourself."

Li Guo coughed twice: "Tian Gou ... ... Tian Gou."

Although Xiaoxin is quite quirky, she is indeed a very obedient and sensible little girl. She looked at Li Guo with a pitiful expression and said, "If you buy me another sundae, I will call you 'Dad' in front of everyone."

Along the way, dust mixed with dirt and the prickly cool breeze numbed Li Guo's face. However, he had wrapped the little loli in his down jacket, leaving only her small head exposed.

Upon seeing Li Guo's name on the registration form, the old gatekeeper plopped down onto the rattan chair, and then he took out his N 8, a symbol of high technology and wealth, and dialed a number.

Thank you, Dad, but I think the sundae from KFC is not as delicious as the one from McDonald's. The little girl, while eating, did not stop talking: "If you go to McDonald's again and buy me one, I will graciously sit on your shoulders."

Later on, when Li Guo made the call, she had simply set up a call forwarding directly to a lady who was delivering takeout lunch boxes.

Although Li Guo was aware of his high status, he never expected to receive such extraordinary treatment upon their first meeting. After speaking a few words, he found himself awkwardly unable to utter a sound for quite some time

The long-distance bus finally stopped in a small county, which is Li Guo's hometown, a small county near Xi'an. Since the passing of his grandfather, Li Guo has hardly visited this place, as his home is far south of the Yangtze River. If it weren't for the fact that he happened to be working in Xi'an, he would probably still be wandering on some green train.

Li Guo shook his head helplessly. If he allowed this precocious little girl to continue speaking, he truly did not know what shocking words she might utter next. Therefore, he pointed outside and said, "This is Uncle Guo's hometown. I have come back to handle some matters and will not be selling anything new."

The group of people around who had perked up their ears to listen to Li Guo and the little girl chatting burst into laughter, and even a young boy specifically went to buy a portion of fries to place on Li Guo's table, hoping to keep the two of them here a little longer

Just as Li Guo was explaining to the young girl what a celestial dog is and what it means for a celestial dog to eat the moon, a bright red Cadillac, as fiery as a flame, slowly drove into the village and came to a steady stop beside Li Guo. Then, an elderly man in a suit, around sixty or seventy years old, jumped down from the car and, upon seeing Li Guo, suddenly knelt down with a thud.

Uncle... Er Shuanzi is honored. The old man trembled as he knelt on the ground, showing utmost respect as he bowed to Li Guo

After listening, Xiao Xin kissed Li Guo with a mouthful of cream, saying: "Tonight, I will let you hold me while I sleep"

Every year on this day, the entire village must stay indoors, fasting and bathing. The old man spoke with great reverence: "Ahead is the ancestral hall, where the legacy left by our ancestors resides."

Upon entering the small village, Li Guo immediately saw clusters of villas, with shiny Chang'an cars scattered throughout the villa area. There were also more upscale models, including the rather ostentatious Mercedes-Benz and BMW, as well as a large number of Chery QQs.

Li Guo : `` ... ... ''

Upon arriving at the legendary ancestral hall, Li Guo finally recognized it. Aside from being newly renovated, everything else was exactly the same as when he left, including the mud swallow's nest, which remained intact under the eaves.

The small vehicle was almost wandering through the village at a speed of five kilometers per hour, and Li Guo noticed that the village was eerily quiet, with not a single soul in sight apart from this vehicle.

After half an hour of bumping along in the tricycle, Li Guo finally arrived at his destination, Li Family Village. Ninety percent of the residents here share the surname Li, and eighty percent are related by blood or by marriage. Moreover, Li Guo's generation is unusually high.

The crowd around, who were enjoying the music, were no longer amused; each of them looked at Li Guo as if he were a class enemy. A group of people held their breath, eagerly awaiting Li Guo's response. From their expressions, it was clear that if Li Guo made the young girl cry, they would rush forward and devour him.

Li Guo was unable to respond to the *picture* book, only nodding silently. This statement sounded awkward no matter how one listened to it; in any case, it felt particularly uncomfortable.

"Where is this, Dad... Do you really want to sell Xinxin? Please, don't sell Xinxin." The little girl had a horrified expression on her face, pleading with Li Guo with a distressed look: "How about waiting until Xinxin grows up and then marrying her as your wife."

"Village Chief, our uncle has returned," the old man said, pausing for a moment to scrutinize Li Guo closely. "Indeed, it is our uncle, with a dog-bite mark on his head."

"You are impressive, but you must not cause trouble." Li Guoguo decisively compromised with the young girl, feeling quite helpless

In the end, with no other choice, Li Guo had to take the long-distance bus to the old house with the little girl.

"I am so cute, calling you 'Daddy', everyone will envy you. Mom says that men are all vain about their image." Little Shin's voice was unreserved, and those around him eating laughed heartily.

The old man squinted his eyes and scrutinized Li Guo: "Uncle, it has been many years since we last met. You have grown quite a bit taller and have become more robust."

Li Guo was left in a state of both amusement and embarrassment by the words of this mischievous little girl. He could only awkwardly turn his head and give a silly smile to the foodies around him, before getting up to buy this overly precocious little loli a chocolate-flavored ice cream.

Li Guo's facial muscles had nearly stiffened; he could hardly imagine what miraculous events had transpired to enable the little girl in his arms to utter such amusing words at the age of four

Li Guo has now become like a little girl, hardly able to say a word to the picture book. The two of them, one big and one small, exchanged glances to pass the time. Although the little girl was quite spirited, she still appeared timid in front of strangers, not daring to say much at all

You are an elder, you can accept this gift! After the old man stood up from the ground, he took Li Guo into a luxury car he had never ridden in before: "Uncle, you must have come to retrieve something as per our ancestors' words, right?"

The security guard at the entrance is an old man. He stopped Li Guo and asked him to register: "Li Family Village is now under corporate management, and outsiders are not allowed to enter"

"Dad, what is a mole that a dog has bitten?" The little girl, having heard the old man's words, tilted her small head and carefully examined Li Guo's face: "There is no dog."

The little girl finally let out a breath and said in a tone that seemed almost weary: "You adults, all day long, just know how to scare people with tales of selling children and the big bad wolf, showing not an ounce of sincerity"

"Is she your biological mother?" Li Guo put away his phone and handed a napkin to the gluttonous Xiao Xin, who was licking his fingers, asking, "Are you full?"

"But it looks like a crescent moon, not like something chewed by a dog," Xiao Xin seriously corrected Li Guo, "It's very beautiful."

Although it is a long journey, it only takes about three to five hours round trip. We can go in the afternoon and still make it back in time to watch Happy Camp in the evening. Moreover, this little girl, Xin, is truly worry-free; she hardly needed any instructions from Li Guo and just leaned in his arms, sleeping soundly the entire way.

Accompanied by the little girl, Li Guo made his way to the urban-rural fringe. Guided by the earthy tones of the local dialect, Li Guo boarded a three-wheeled vehicle heading towards the more remote areas of the urban-rural junction