Chapter 158: Taking Xiaoxi to Walk on the Beach

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“What on earth is going on?”

Zhong Di was covered in mental black lines. How could such a tiny matter be made to sound so serious? Was all his concern really going to be wasted over this?

Looking at the several hedgehogs in the hedgehog den, Zhong Di had no idea what to say.

“There are suddenly so many hedgehogs now. What are we supposed to do?” Zhong Hui looked rather flustered. It was her first time dealing with something like this, so it was only natural that she had no idea how to handle it.

“So there are more of them. Just let them stay.”

“That’s it? We don’t do anything?” Zhong Hui asked in astonishment.

“What else are we supposed to do? Offer incense to them?”

After saying this, Zhong Di found some chicken and chicken bones, tossed them into the hedgehogs’ den, and walked away.

He had scared himself for nothing. Thankfully, nothing had happened. So what if the family had acquired a few more hedgehogs? It was hardly an abnormal situation. It wasn’t as if they had gained some protected beast capable of sending everyone to prison.

If that had happened, Zhong Hui would not have been the only one panicking. Director Xing would probably have leaped straight out of his chair.

Time always passed quickly when one was living like a salted fish.

September 6, Saturday.

Ever since the beach beside the fishpond had been built, visitors had been arriving in an endless stream.

After two days of construction, the beach was complete, the greenhouse had been cleaned up, construction had begun on the new kitchen and dining hall, and even the guesthouse rooms had started being renovated.

Early that morning, Zhong Di got out of bed, took the margay out for a stroll, and then began dealing with all sorts of odd jobs.

As soon as the appointed time arrived, Zhong Di started looking forward to the day. His older sister had said yesterday that she would bring Xiaoxi over on Saturday. Xiaoxi’s grandmother had something to attend to, so her mother had to bring her instead.

Zhong Di was more than happy about it. He had been eagerly hoping that his adorable niece would come over.

“Xiaoxi, come give your uncle a hug.” Zhong Di scooped Xiaoxi up as soon as she got out of the car.

By now, his older sister had become quite skilled at driving. She drove to and from work every day, which was very convenient. In particular, the trip between home and the farm took very little time.

“Uncle, do you not want Xiaoxi anymore? Do you not want to be nice to Xiaoxi anymore?”

The moment Zhong Di picked her up, Xiaoxi’s tears began to fall.

Zhong Di: “...?”

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What had happened? Had the script been mixed up? Had he gotten out of bed in the wrong position that morning?

Countless questions crowded into Zhong Di’s mind. Why on earth would he not want Xiaoxi anymore?

“Of course not. Xiaoxi is so adorable. How could your uncle possibly not want you?”

“But Mommy told Grandma that you’re going to find an auntie for me. Once you find an auntie, you won’t want Xiaoxi anymore.” Xiaoxi’s voice was soft and childish, and her aggrieved expression was especially adorable.

“Well, children say all sorts of silly things.” Zhong Hui immediately felt embarrassed, then glared at Xiaoxi. “What nonsense have you been talking about every day? I shouldn’t have brought you here.”

Hearing her mother scold her, Xiaoxi’s eyes filled with tears. She looked as though she was about to burst into sobs at any moment.

“Hey, sis, what are you doing? Xiaoxi hasn’t done anything wrong.” Seeing such a cute child get scolded, Zhong Di could not bear it.

“Xiaoxi, don’t mind Mommy. Your uncle will take you to dig for shells and tease the crabs, all right?” Holding Xiaoxi in his arms, Zhong Di suddenly came up with an idea.

As for Xiaoxi’s mention of finding an auntie for him, Zhong Di finally understood why his mother had known about the matter that day. Most likely, Su Rou and Sun Miaomiao had seen the farm’s property prices and asked his older sister about it in detail.

If he remembered correctly, his mother had been out shopping with his older sister that day. Xiaoxi had gone along with them and overheard them discussing the matter.

What followed was probably Xiaoxi’s own interpretation. Children viewed things differently from adults. Otherwise, there would not be so many questions in the world.

Why did cats meow and dogs bark? Why did rabbits have four legs?

“Really? Will Xiaoxi get to eat shrimp? Will Uncle peel them for Xiaoxi?” The moment Xiaoxi heard about collecting shells and teasing crabs, her interest was completely ignited.

“Of course. Not only will there be shrimp, there will also be oysters and all kinds of delicious food. Your uncle will get you everything. Whatever you want to eat, you can have.” Zhong Di affectionately patted Xiaoxi on the head.

“Zhong Di, you spoil her too much.” Zhong Hui felt utterly helpless.

What had her little girl been turned into by her younger brother? She had been fairly well-behaved before, but ever since her brother had returned from school, things had changed.

Just two days ago, he had insisted on buying Xiaoxi a whole pile of little things that girls liked, along with all sorts of snacks and toys, and had made Zhong Hui bring them home to her.

Doing that once or twice was fine, but too much spoiling would only ruin the child.

Zhong Di did not take a single word of his sister’s warning to heart. He continued treating Xiaoxi exactly as he pleased.

Seeing this, Zhong Hui decided to leave the matter alone for the time being.

The seedling trays and various flowerpots had arrived, along with the growing medium and other supplies. She had thought they would not arrive for another couple of days, but they were coming today, and there were still things that needed to be dealt with.

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With that in mind, Zhong Hui went off to get busy. As for Xiaoxi, with her uncle looking after her, there was no need to guess how thoroughly she would be spoiled.

Meanwhile, Zhong Di naturally took Xiaoxi to the fishpond.

It was cool and pleasant in the early morning, and there were no visitors yet. Zhong Di took Xiaoxi onto the beach, where they walked barefoot through the sand. It was soft, slightly damp, and wonderfully comfortable beneath their feet.

Since it was still early, there were hardly any customers, even though it was Saturday.

According to the farm’s historical records, visitors would gradually begin to increase around noon on Saturdays.

After careful discussion, the beach had been given a set of rules, which was why it had developed so smoothly.

For example, visitors were not allowed to litter or throw random food into the fishpond. Anyone who wanted to feed the fish could collect fish food from the farm free of charge. Digging for shells was permitted, but taking them away at will was strictly prohibited.

To Zhong Di’s surprise, not a single person had complained about these rules.

Before they were implemented, Zhong Di had imagined all sorts of possible reactions.

For instance: I’m paying to come here, so I should be able to enjoy myself. What’s the point of having a beach if I can’t play however I want?

None of that had happened. Everyone cooperated, even the children. They all knew that rubbish could not simply be thrown everywhere and had to go into a trash can.

In Zhong Di’s impression, foreign reports seemed to spend all their time criticizing people from his country, claiming they threw their rubbish everywhere. Yet what he saw in reality was an entirely different scene.

People were constantly improving. Each generation behaved better and showed greater consideration than the one before it.

Of course, this might also have had something to do with the waste-sorting campaign Zhong Hui had organized.

“Uncle, there’s a little bump here!” Xiaoxi suddenly squatted beside a small mound, clutching a little shovel.

The mound was not large, but judging by its shape, there seemed to be something beneath it. That was based on Zhong Di’s experience.

“Don’t touch it. Let your uncle do it.”

Zhong Di hurried over and carefully pried open the mound.

“Ah! Uncle, a crab! A crab!” Xiaoxi cried out in delight.

It was a tiny swimming crab. Zhong Di took one look at it and released it back into the water. There was no point in keeping it. It was far too thin, with barely any meat or roe. Eating it would be like crunching on a shell.