Twenty minutes later, everyone confirmed their tasks, left the courtyard, and went their separate ways.
"Miao Miao, didn't you notice? An An has been following you," Cui Mantong said to Fang Miao Miao, who was beside her, carrying a small bamboo basket.
Fang Miao Miao turned around and, just as Cui Mantong had said, Wen Yan An had been following her since they left the courtyard.
She didn't believe this little brat was reluctant to part with her. After all, she knew clearly that the brat didn't have much affection for the original owner.
In her past life, when she was reading, she quite liked Wen Yan An. This child was very intelligent. Although he didn't study university courses at five or become a famous hacker at seven like some children, compared to his peers, he was undeniably far ahead.
However, when God opens a door, he usually closes a window. Wen Yan An, though intelligent, was quiet. More accurately, he was detached. His feelings for everyone were not strong, including his father, Wen Zhi Yan.
While reading the novel, she felt sympathetic towards this little fellow. But now she was a participant. Frankly, she didn't believe she could use her love to change the little guy and make him as lively as other children.
The best state for her and Wen Yan An was to be like ordinary people. She felt that this would be good for everyone, and it was also why she decided to be a laid-back stepmother.
"Miao Miao, why don't we ask him?" Cui Mantong felt a bit awkward at this moment. She thought Miao Miao's relationship with her stepson wouldn't be as disharmonious as rumored online, but now it seemed to be as the rumors suggested.
"Little friend Wen Yan An, did you take a wrong turn?"
Wen Yan An stood on the ladder and looked up at Fang Miao Miao, who was much taller than him. "No, I know the way."
Fang Miao Miao raised an eyebrow. "I thought you couldn't bear to part with me, so you were following me."
"You!" Wen Yan An's eyes widened, and he looked at the smiling woman in disbelief. How had he not noticed this woman's thick skin before?
"What about me?" Fang Miao Miao's teasing spirit flared up again. "Am I wrong?"
"Not at all," Wen Yan An snorted and turned his head. "Books say that standing high allows you to see farther. If I go to the mountain, I can quickly see the layout of the entire village."
A hint of surprise and admiration flashed in Fang Miao Miao's eyes, but she still bent down and whispered a few words into Wen Yan An's ear.
"You, you, you." Wen Yan An, angry, clenched his chubby fists and, after uttering, "I don't want to talk to you," ran away.
His demeanor, his retreating figure, was like a hasty escape.
[Anyone who understands lip-reading, tell me what Fang Miao Miao said in An An's ear.]
[Me, me, me, I saw it.]
[I'll trade my roommate's ten years of singlehood for this lip-reading.]
[I saw it too. I recorded it and analyzed it repeatedly. Guess what Fang Miao Miao said.]
[Hurry up and tell us, upstairs! Don't make me kneel and beg you!]
[I guess she said, 'Little child, your ears are turning red?']
[Bingo, that's exactly what she said.]
[So, little An An is shy?]
[Definitely. Look at his fleeing back. When the online version comes out, watch closely. Little An An's ears are incredibly red. So cute.]
"Miao Miao, you did that on purpose." Cui Mantong looked at Wen Yan An's retreating figure and suddenly realized. "You're quite wicked."
"He's just a child, meant to be played with, isn't he?" Fang Miao Miao grinned mischievously. "Don't you think he's cuter like this than when he's so composed?"
Cui Mantong stroked her chin, her eyes flashing with excitement.
Suddenly, she clapped her hands. "I think you're right. My Si Si is like that too. So well-behaved, like a little adult, and not fun at all."
"Exactly. Children grow up fast. If you don't play with them now, you won't have the chance later."
The two chattered for a long time, then looked at each other and smiled, as if they had reached some kind of agreement.
[These two women don't look like good people.]
[Children are for playing? Hahaha, I agree too. I have nothing to do at home all day and love to tease our kids. It's just too much fun.]
[It's one thing for fmm to bully her stepson alone, but she's actually instigating others. That's disgusting.]
[Their ulterior motives are obvious. Children are for playing? Of course, they're not playing with their own children. The most venomous are women's hearts. Fang Miao Miao's heart is more poisonous than the five poisons.]
Under the fierce offensive of the anti-fans, the passers-by tacitly kept quiet.
Guided by the staff, Fang Miao Miao and Cui Mantong found Wen Yan An sitting on a pavilion, holding a small stone and murmuring softly.
"Indeed, An An is very smart."
Fang Miao Miao smiled knowingly. "He is indeed quite smart."
It's just that he's not very willing to communicate with others. She was wondering if her cheap husband, Wen Zhi Yan, agreed to let her bring Wen Yan An to the variety show to change his personality of being unwilling to be around others.
Logically, he should be in school at five, but she had never read anything in the books about Wen Yan An attending school.
"I've memorized it."
Just as the two were chatting happily, Wen Yan An's voice came unexpectedly.
"Memorized?" Cui Mantong was a little surprised. This Hongshan Village, although it had many left-behind children and elderly people, had quite a few interconnected paths.
And in such a short time, Wen Yan An had memorized them all?
"Let's go."
Fang Miao Miao glanced at him and asked slowly, "Go where?"
"Isn't your task to prepare dinner ingredients?" Wen Yan An said, pursing his lips.
"What's the hurry?" Fang Miao Miao patted the stone bench of the pavilion. "Come, sit down. Such beautiful scenery, it would be a shame not to appreciate it."
"Aren't you afraid of losing?" Wen Yan An remembered that her favorite thing was to compete with others, to win at everything. In the past, she would never have had the time to sit here leisurely.
"Lose what?" Fang Miao Miao scoffed, propping her chin with one hand and gazing at the sky outside the pavilion.
Blue sky, white clouds.
In the distance, the mountains rose and fell continuously, giving a sense of vastness and comfort, as if no hardship could be a problem in front of these mountains.
"So comfortable."
Outside the pavilion, the sun shone brightly, while inside, a gentle breeze mingled with the slight heat of the sun.
After her exclamation, Cui Mantong suddenly remembered something. "Tsk, what a pity. I wonder how my Si Si is doing now."
"Why don't you go find your little one?"
Cui Mantong shook her head without even thinking, adopting a laid-back attitude. "Forget it. With the program team taking care of him, Si Si should be fine. I trust the program team."
Wen Yan An, sitting upright, looked at the two who had already forgotten their task and shook his head helplessly. On his chubby baby face, there was a maturity that didn't belong to his peers. Is someone not only becoming lazier but also trying to make everyone around them lazy?