Huayu: Starting by piggybacking on the fame of "Fairy Mom"

Chapter 9 The Celestial Being Shifts the Blame

Before dark, Anxi happily returned home.

How can children who play in the mud be clean? They inevitably get muddy and wet, and even after a simple cleaning, some stubborn dirt always lingers.

Her hairstyle was also changed to a ponytail, which was Zhou Xiaobai's masterpiece.

It took a full half hour, and the result was rather ugly, which Anxi disliked for a long time.

But there was nothing she could do; she didn't know how to do it herself.

"Where have you been running around? Why are you all like this?" Liu Xiaoli asked in surprise when she saw the mud stains on her daughter's clothes, her dirty white shoes, and even her new hairstyle.

Anxi didn't have time to answer, as she was busy rummaging through drawers looking for snacks—her good friend was coming to visit her tomorrow, and she had to treat her well.

"I'm asking you a question!" Liu Xiaoli urged impatiently, raising an eyebrow. "Why did you skip class this afternoon?"

Anxi ignored her, thinking to herself: You guys didn't care about me when you were arguing, did you?

"Go ahead and say it!" Liu Xiaoli reached out and twisted her ear.

"Mommy! It hurts! It hurts!" Anxi cried out. Her eyes darted around, and she could concoct a lie without even thinking, "I went to the orphanage to do good deeds this afternoon."

"An orphanage? Where's the ditch for you to go swimming in?" Liu Xiaoli was furious. Her daughter not only skipped school but also went swimming. This girl had let herself go!

"I went to the park this afternoon..." Anxi shrank her neck, trying to make herself less noticeable.

"And then?" Liu Xiaoli pointed to the mud on her skirt, finding fault with everything.

Anxi hesitated for a moment, then muttered pitifully, "I saw those kids catching shrimp..."

The fact that I went into the water was absolutely unacceptable. My mother interfered in everything, even locking herself up.

This life isn't as free and happy as the orphans' life in the orphanage. If I don't dance, I get scolded. I have to run away from home and be adopted by Grandma Wang.

"Didn't go into the water?"

"No!"

Liu Xiaoli snorted coldly. Her daughter was lying; how could she not see through her expression?

Her expression turned serious: "No, I'm asking why you skipped class this afternoon?"

"Uh!" Anxixi choked.

Liu Xiaoli cupped her daughter's round face in her hands and stared intently into An Qianqian's eyes without moving.

The mother and daughter exchanged silent glances, like two fighting cocks. Experience prevailed; a minute later, An Qianqian was defeated.

"Okay, Mom, I admit it—" Anxi deflated instantly. Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she decided to tell her mother some good news—she had skipped school to find a younger brother, which was a good thing. "Mom, I have something to ask you."

"What do you want to say?" Liu Xiaoli crossed her arms, exuding an imposing aura.

"Did you secretly have a younger brother for me while you were away? Tell me the truth!" An Qianqian was planning to cut the Gordian knot and catch her mother off guard. She would first stir up trouble about skipping class, then force her to confess and settle the matter of the younger brother.

*Smack! Smack! Smack!* Liu Xiaoli grabbed An Qianqian and gave her a good spanking. "You're telling me the truth, aren't you, you idiot..."

"Aww..." Anxixi burst into tears.

Seeing her crying like this, Liu Xiaoli was really at her wit's end.

How could I have given birth to such a silly child? I wish I could put her back in my belly.

She explained helplessly, "What nonsense are you talking about? I only have one daughter, you. Where would I get a son? I really wish I could have another son, so your grandparents wouldn't give me attitude every day because of this."

"Really not? I'm serious!" Anxi cried with worry. Could it be that Zhou Xiaobai really wasn't her biological brother?

"Mom won't lie to you. If I say no, I mean no." Liu Xiaoli said firmly, then paused for a moment, "But why are you suddenly asking this?" She sensed something strange about her daughter's question.

"I saw a little boy crying at school this afternoon, missing his mother, so I took him back to the orphanage." An Qianqian made up an excuse for skipping class while thinking to herself: Anyway, it's better to sacrifice others than myself. My little brother is just a scapegoat. I'll make it up to you later.

Although the reason was far-fetched, Liu Xiaoli's mind raced—An Qianqian always seemed to think things were too trivial to handle, and was never afraid of making things worse. She only knew how to amuse a crying child, not how to comfort them; things were definitely not as simple as she claimed.

Her expression turned serious: "Sisi, now tell Mom about his situation properly."

"His name is Zhou Xiaobai, he's 7 years old, a little bit younger than me..." An Qianqian's words were interrupted when she suddenly remembered something, her face becoming serious, "Mom, Xiaobai has the same surname as Auntie, so was he secretly born and then lost...?"

Zhou Xiaobai?

Liu Xiaoli couldn't help but think of a little brat named Zhou Xiaohei—the little bastard who bit her and called her "auntie."

It can't be that much of a coincidence, can it? There are plenty of kids named Zhou something.

She shook her head and waved her hand, "Stop, stop, stop! Your aunt doesn't even have a husband, where would she get such a big child?"

"Oh, I think he's a bit slow! He's only in first grade, and he doesn't even know as many words as I do, so I took him in as my little brother and will look after him from now on!" Anxiqian changed the subject, and her mother didn't press her about skipping school anymore, which made her very happy.

"And what about your hair?" Liu Xiaoli suddenly asked.

"It was Xiaobai who made it."

"Who washed your shoes?"

"The drain got dirty, Xiaobai washed it."

Liu Xiaoli reached out and cupped her daughter's round face in her hands, giving it a good rub: "You're going against the natural order! You dare to fool your old mother? You still say you didn't go into the water?"

"Stop! Stop, stop, stop! I surrender! I'm going into the water!" Anxi immediately raised her hands, turning black into white, "It was Xiaobai who fell into the water, I'm going into the water to save him."

"He's the same age as you, and he even helps you braid your hair? And washes your shoes?" Liu Xiaoli pinched An Qianqian's chubby cheeks, a half-smile on her face.

"It's true, he helped me with it."

Are you sure?

"Yes."

Liu Xiaoli rubbed her temples!

It's true that my daughter is beautiful and lovable, but she has always been resistant to contact with men.

Moreover, her daughter is also clever and quick-witted; she can tell at a glance who treats her well and who treats her badly.

Good guy!

This little brat even braided her hair?

Washing shoes?

Although the shoes weren't tied properly and weren't clean, Liu Xiaoli felt particularly at ease—even though she was just a little kid herself, she was spoiling her daughter like a treasure.

Thinking of this, Liu Xiaoli smiled and completely forgot about questioning her daughter about skipping school: "Alright, when are you bringing him home? Mom will treat him to a meal."

When it came to food, Anxixi wilted – her mother only knew how to make fried rice with eggs, which she felt was a little embarrassing, as it was even more monotonous than the food at the orphanage.

An Qianqian was even more afraid to bring Zhou Xiaobai home, as her mother forbade her from playing with little boys, saying they were all bad kids.

She didn't know if her mother was telling the truth or not. What if her mother threatened her if she brought this home?

This is the younger brother we've adopted!

No way, I'd rather die than bring her back. I'll raise her outside first until she's accustomed to it, then bring her back and Mom won't be able to take her away.

Thinking of this, Anxi nodded, "Okay, Mom."

She thought to herself: I'd better be careful about watching the performance tomorrow.