"Sister Ya Ya," Lin An said obediently to Da Ya.
The friendship between the children was thus established. Soon, Lin An was affectionately calling her Sister Ya Ya. The two little ones sat together, whispering about something.
"Little ones make friends so quickly, they're already familiar," Fu Wenwen said with a smile. She looked at Zhang Cuihua and, seeing her unhappy expression, asked nervously, "Sister Cuihua, are you alright? Feeling unwell?"
"I'm fine, just a bit nauseous from the bumping!" Zhang Cuihua felt a bit sick from the jolts and waved her hand.
"Wife, are you uncomfortable? I'll slow down then." Liu Qiang looked back at Zhang Cuihua nervously and immediately reduced their speed.
"At this slow pace, the market will be sold out by the time we get there. Hurry up!" Zhang Cuihua said angrily. Liu Qiang had no choice but to speed up again.
As Liu Qiang's donkey cart reached the village entrance, they saw Lin Feng waiting by the roadside. Lin Feng gestured for Liu Qiang not to stop and to keep going. Lin Feng then started running alongside the donkey cart.
"Soldiers are truly different. Look at him, he's been running for so long and isn't even out of breath," Zhang Cuihua said, watching Lin Feng run. Fu Wenwen, however, seemed unsurprised. By the time they reached the market, Lin Feng hadn't broken a sweat, nor was he panting. Zhang Cuihua was stunned.
"You flatter me, sister-in-law," Lin Feng chuckled. "In the army, we had to run twenty kilometers every day. This distance is nothing."
"That's really impressive!" Zhang Cuihua teased, glancing at Fu Wenwen. Fu Wenwen looked at Zhang Cuihua blankly, not understanding why she was suddenly winking at her.
Only Liu Qiang understood Zhang Cuihua's implication. He coughed awkwardly, signaling Zhang Cuihua to take it easy.
"Sister, let's go! The market is just ahead!" Zhang Cuihua said, taking Fu Wenwen's hand and leading the way.
Behind them, Liu Qiang picked up his daughter and carried her on his shoulders. Lin An looked at Da Ya with envy. Seeing this, Lin Feng bent down and lifted Lin An, letting him sit on his shoulders.
Lin An was startled. When he came to his senses, he was already on Lin Feng's shoulders. He immediately broke into a bright smile.
"Dad, it's so high! There are so many people ahead..." Lin An exclaimed happily.
Zhang Cuihua and Fu Wenwen walked ahead, with Liu Qiang and Lin Feng following with the children. Seeing the increasing number of people and the tendency for the place to become crowded, Lin Feng quickly moved forward, staying close behind Fu Wenwen.
Liu Qiang was gradually swallowed by the crowd. If Da Ya hadn't seen Lin An ahead and pointed the way for Liu Qiang, he wouldn't have known how to find them.
Fu Wenwen looked at the bustling market, with vendors set up along both sides of the road. People vied to buy what they wanted, and the atmosphere was very noisy.
Just as she was about to look around, she suddenly spotted a familiar bow tie on a vendor's stall. Fu Wenwen was surprised. She then saw Liu Fang, who was wearing the bow tie, also spot Fu Wenwen. His eyes lit up, and he was about to call out to her.
Fu Wenwen immediately shook her head.
Liu Fang was taken aback. He saw a woman beside Fu Wenwen and understood with a nod. He then called out loudly to Fu Wenwen, "Yo, little beauty, what do you want to buy? Come, come, come. Brother here will take special care of you. Just tell me what you want, and I'll get it for you!"
Upon hearing Liu Fang's words, Zhang Cuihua immediately pulled Fu Wenwen behind her, trying to shield her from Liu Fang's gaze. "My sister is already married. Stop trying to get close."
Fu Wenwen gave Liu Fang a helpless glare, and Liu Fang's smile froze.
It's ruined.
He'd been mistaken for a hooligan. How could he salvage this now?
Just as Liu Fang was feeling helpless, Zhao Zilong walked over and quickly apologized to Zhang Cuihua with a smile, "This elder sister, I'm truly sorry. My brother's mouth is too loose; he means no harm. How about this, I'll apologize on behalf of my brother and take you directly to the warehouse. You can pick whatever you like."
"Really?" Zhang Cuihua asked suspiciously. However, seeing Zhao Zilong's serious expression, unlike Liu Fang's flippant demeanor, she trusted his words a little more.
"Sister, should we go?" Zhang Cuihua asked Fu Wenwen in a low voice.
"Let's go! There are so many people here, we can't even browse!" Fu Wenwen nodded at Zhang Cuihua. "Besides, although that person spoke rudely just now, his eyes seemed honest, not like some third-rate character."
"Since you say so, Sister, we'll do as you say!" Zhang Cuihua nodded and looked at Zhao Zilong, "Then... you lead the way."
Liu Fang and Zhao Zilong cleared a path for Fu Wenwen and Zhang Cuihua to pass. Lin Feng, who had almost been pushed away by the crowd, had been watching Fu Wenwen intently. Seeing her walk past the vendors, he immediately squeezed through.
"Fu Wenwen! Let her go!" Lin Feng shouted, thinking Fu Wenwen had been captured.
Fu Wenwen paused. Zhang Cuihua quickly said, "Lin Feng, don't worry. We know this boss. He said he'll take us directly to the warehouse."
"Hurry and call Brother Liu Qiang over too!" Fu Wenwen said to Lin Feng.
Hearing Fu Wenwen's words, Lin Feng breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that nothing had happened. He turned and pulled Liu Qiang, who was struggling to get through the crowd.
The four of them finally managed to break free from the crowded area and couldn't help but feel relieved.
"Follow me," Zhao Zilong said, glancing at Lin Feng. His gaze met Fu Wenwen's.
Fu Wenwen, Zhang Cuihua, and the others followed Zhao Zilong into a nearby alley. Lin Feng eyed Zhao Zilong and Liu Fang, who were leading the way, with suspicion.
"Hey! How come they can go to the warehouse, and we can't?" Someone saw Fu Wenwen and Zhang Cuihua and the others walk through and, upon hearing about the warehouse, clamored to go too.
"Scram, scram, scram. What business is it of yours?" Several people on the opposite side blocked the passage and waved the person away.
Fu Wenwen and the others followed Zhao Zilong to a warehouse. They knocked on the door with a secret signal, and the warehouse door was immediately opened.
"Why are you back?" a man with a sturdy and honest appearance asked Zhao Zilong and Liu Fang with a smile. His smile instantly vanished when he saw Fu Wenwen and the others.
"It's nothing, just brought them over to pick some goods," Zhao Zilong said, patting the man's shoulder.
"Did you talk to Brother Hu?" the man asked, stepping aside and raising an eyebrow. He still let Fu Wenwen and the others in.
"What do I need to talk to you about?" Wang Hu happened to be walking out of the warehouse, a smile on his face, and asked.
"Brother Hu, Liu Fang was a bit too talkative just now and offended someone. To apologize to them, I promised to bring them directly to the warehouse to select goods," Zhao Zilong immediately stepped forward to explain upon seeing Wang Hu.
Wang Hu glanced at Fu Wenwen and the others. When he saw Lin Feng behind Fu Wenwen, Wang Hu stiffened. Then, seeing the smile on Fu Wenwen's lips, Wang Hu nodded. "It was our mistake. Let them choose then!"
He walked over to Liu Fang and slapped him, "You truly have a loose tongue... Come with me!"
With that, he grabbed Liu Fang and took him to a corner to reprimand him. Zhao Zilong then led Fu Wenwen and the others into the warehouse...