I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 176. Conquering Grandpa Ruan Wen: 1000% Progress
A few meters away from the gate of the courtyard stands a century-old banyan tree that blocks out the sky. Every day, many withered yellow leaves fall, and when the wind blows, the leaves enter the courtyard.

When they lived together in the secret base, one of their daily tasks was to sweep up leaves. They could sweep up nearly a pound of dead leaves a day, and once they had accumulated a certain amount, they would make a fire in the yard to play with.

Xu Qingfan opened the black garbage bag, giving Lin Wanning enough space to dump the garbage in.

After packing up the last small pile of leaves, the yard was clean and tidy again.

"Alright, wash your hands and get ready to go report the crime," Xu Qingfan said, wiping the fine sweat from his forehead.

"Brother Qingfan, when are we going to make a fire and play with ducks? The bag is almost full!" Lin Wanning asked as he carried a large bag of dry leaves back to the corner.

“Yes, it’s been so long since we’ve had a barbecue in the yard!” Xiao Ruanwen nodded in agreement.

"The weather is nice today," Xu Qingfan said, shielding his eyes from the sun and looking up at the sun. "Let's talk about it when Xiaoyu gets back. We'll go to the market to buy groceries this afternoon and have a bonfire party tonight!"

"Yay!" Lin Wanning excitedly grabbed Zhang Yiyi's hand and jumped up and down.

"Brother Fan, you need to grill oysters and eggplants for us!"

"I want to eat sweet potato with molten lava filling!"

"Brother Qingfan also has roasted chicken wings, roasted corn, and roasted cilantro!"

Grilled prawns!

The four girls took turns telling Xu Qingfan what food they wanted to eat.

"Let's make arrangements. We'll go to the police station first, then come back to finish our weekend homework, and then play by the fire tonight." Xu Qingfan gestured for them to stop.

After washing their hands and locking the door again, the five of them set off. "Let's go!"

The Licheng Street Police Station is just over 100 meters away from Licheng Middle School. After the six of them arrived at their destination, Xu Qingfan took out his phone and called his father's comrade-in-arms from when he was in the army.

"Uncle Xiaohai, we've arrived at the door." Xu Qingfan had told the other party about this before leaving in the morning, but worried that the other party might be busy with work, he still made a call to confirm.

"It's Xiao Fan! Uncle's coming right away!" Fang Xiaohai's hearty laughter came from the other end of the phone.

When they were in elementary school, they came to the bureau to see Zhang Chaoqun and happened to run into Fang Xiaohai, who was there on business. Xu Qingfan mentioned to Zhang Chaoqun that Fang Xiaohai was his father's comrade-in-arms when he was in the army.

Several years have passed, and Fang Xiaohai has gone from an ordinary second-level police officer who had just joined the force to the captain of the street police station.

Of course, Xu Qingfan believed that even without his unintentional intervention, Fang Xiaohai's serious and responsible attitude towards work would have allowed him to reach his current position.

Not long after making the call, Fang Xiaohai appeared at the door. Perhaps because he had served in the military, he always stood up straight, and his police uniform exuded a sense of righteousness.

"Uncle Xiao Hai!"

"Uncle Xiaohai!" The four girls had all met Fang Xiaohai before, and they all greeted him politely.

"You've grown so tall! Come on in first." Fang Xiaohai patted Xu Qingfan's shoulder forcefully and led them into the police station.

The captain didn't have his own private office. After leading the group to the office's lounge, he asked, "Did you bring your business cards and application forms with you?"

“Uncle, this is with me!” Xiao Ruanwen took out the audition registration form and the scammer’s business card from her pocket and handed them to him.

"I'll call him now, and you can invite him to Guagreen Plaza later." Fang Xiaohai simply and directly pulled out his Nokia and typed in the number on the business card.

He put his phone on speakerphone, and the call was answered quickly after ringing a few times.

"Hello, who is this?" came a sleepy voice from the other end of the phone.

Fang Xiaohai handed his phone to Xiao Ruanwen, gesturing for her to speak.

"Uncle, it's me. I've thought it through. I want to sign up for the Super Girl auditions. I've already filled out the application form. Can you come to Guagreen Square to pick it up?" Xiao Ruanwen's heart was pounding with nervousness, but she still managed to finish her sentence.

"Ha~ Little sister, have you thought it through? What about your friend? Does she want to sign up too? Let me tell you, the audition is very competitive. It'll be easier for you two to advance as a group!" The scammer perked up immediately after hearing Xiao Ruanwen's voice and said in a sleazy tone.

"Uncle, she's my friend," Xiao Ruanwen said, looking at Xia Xiaoxiao. After seeing her nod, she continued, "Xiaoxiao said she's participating too. We're at Guagreen Square right now. Could you come over for a bit?"

"What uncle? I'm only twenty-three this year. I'm busy right now. Little sisters, why don't you come to my house? I'll give you some singing lessons while I'm there!"

[You'd better actually train me in singing skills.] Xu Qingfan rolled his eyes speechlessly.

Xiao Ruanwen then turned her gaze to Fang Xiaohai, and after seeing him nod, she hesitated before replying, "Uncle, is your home far from Guagreen Square? I need to go home for lunch."

"It's not far at all. My uncle's house is at No. 132 Jiefang West Road. It's easy to find. It's right across from the Yidu Cinema!"

The sound of the wooden board vibrating came from the other end of the phone, and Xu Qingfan could already imagine the scammer dancing excitedly at home.

"Alright, we'll do it now, Uncle, please wait a moment!"

"Hmm, hurry up, I have to train other female students later. Every minute I'm delayed is worth millions!" The scammer seemed to be brushing his teeth, and his speech was slurred.

"Okay!" Xiao Ruanwen said, then hung up the phone and handed it back to Fang Xiaohai.

"You guys go back first. I'll call you if anything happens," he said, patting Xu Qingfan on the shoulder.

"Aren't we going together?" Xiao Ruanwen asked curiously.

"Yeah, let's go catch the bad guys together!" Lin Wanning asked with an innocent and adorable look in his eyes.

Xu Qingfan's mind went blank for a moment. He grabbed the girl's ahoge (cowlick) and slapped her hard on the back of the head.

"Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Xiaohai. We'll head home now so as not to disturb your work." Xu Qingfan waved goodbye to Fang Xiaohai.

"Okay, be careful on the road." Fang Xiaohai was still busy responding to a call, so he took them out of the police station and then returned.

"Waaaaah~ Brother Qingfan, why did you hit me just now!" Lin Wanning said, covering her head with her hands and looking aggrieved.

“You join in every little commotion. What if the scammers find out we called the police and retaliate against us when they get out?” Xu Qingfan glared at her fiercely.

"Oh, I think so!" Lin Wanning opened his mouth wide, looking as if he had just realized something.

"Hahaha," everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter at her antics.

"Where are we going now?" Xiao Ruanwen asked after the laughter subsided.

"It's almost ten o'clock. Let's go to the market to buy groceries and make lunch first. We can watch TV at home for a while, and then we'll think about where to go in the afternoon after Xiaoyu comes back."

"Oh, right, my mom asked me to invite you over for lunch. I almost forgot!" Xiao Ruanwen suddenly remembered her mother's instructions before she left home when she heard the word "lunch."

"Then let's go!" Xu Qingfan raised his head, gesturing for the other party to lead the way.

"Going back so early?" Xiao Ruanwen had just slipped out of her house and didn't want to go home so soon.

"Let's go, it's perfect timing since we've known each other for so long but I haven't been to your house yet." Xu Qingfan pushed Xiao Ruanwen forward. Because they felt uncomfortable with adults around when playing, they used to usually meet at Xu Qingfan's or Lin Wanning's house. Now that they bought a house next to the school, they meet directly at their secret base.

Because Xiao Ruanwen's grandparents were often at home, they had never visited her family.

"That's right, we haven't been to the class monitor's house yet!"

"Alright then~" Xiao Ruanwen's house was quite tidy, so she wasn't embarrassed to have friends visiting.

After buying two pounds of fresh mangosteens from a nearby fruit shop, Xu Qingfan carried the bag home with Xiao Ruanwen.

The five of them soon arrived at an old-fashioned residential area and followed Xiao Ruanwen up to the fifth floor.

Just as she was about to take out her keys to open the door, the second door opened from the inside.

"Grandpa." Xiao Ruanwen looked up and saw that it was her grandfather, and nodded obediently.

"Hello, Grandpa." They greeted him in return.

"You must be Er Ya's classmates, come in and have a seat," Xiao Lijian said with a kind smile.

"Pfft~ Yes, hello Grandpa!" The four of them suppressed their laughter and nodded frantically.

Xiao Ruanwen covered her forehead, feeling a longing to live on another planet. Her nickname, which she had kept secret for twelve years, had finally been revealed.

"Hello, Grandma!" Upon entering the house, I found an elderly woman with half-gray hair watching traditional opera on television.

"Hello, little students, welcome to Er Ya's house. Grandma will get you some food!" Xiao Ruanwen's grandmother spoke with a strong voice and could get up without any tools.

"Grandma, where's my mom?" Xiao Ruanwen asked after looking around the living room for a while, not seeing her mother.

"She went grocery shopping and should be back soon. Grandma made water chestnut cake herself. Kids, come and try it, it's delicious!" She took a box of water chestnut cake from the refrigerator and handed it to Xu Qingfan.

"Thank you, Grandma." Xu Qingfan nodded obediently.

When they first met Xiao Ruanwen's grandparents, all four of them seemed a little awkward, sitting upright in the living room, watching Peking Opera on TV that they couldn't understand.

"Is this Xiao Fan? Come and see the characters I wrote!" Xiao Lijian was practicing calligraphy on the balcony when he remembered the couplets Xu Qingfan wrote for their family every year, so he waved for him to come over.

"Ah good."

Xiao Ruanwen covered her mouth and chuckled, then quickly pulled Xia Xiaoxiao, Lin Wanning, and Zhang Yiyi back to her room.

"Pfft~" Xu Qingfan originally thought that old people who practice calligraphy would write very well, but when he saw the scribbles in front of him, he almost couldn't help but spit out his food.

"What a spirited cursive script! From afar it looks like Zhang Zhi, and up close it looks like Wang Xizhi. Grandpa, you're a genius!" Xu Qingfan adjusted his facial muscles and praised without blushing or skipping a beat.

“The kid knows his stuff. I’ve been writing cursive script for over ten years, and I started by imitating Zhang Zhi and Wang Xizhi!” Xiao Lijian stroked his beard and laughed.

"Have some shame, you old man! Even the dog back home pissing on the ground is prettier than your handwriting!" Xiao Ruanwen's grandmother couldn't help but scold after hearing her husband's shameless boasting.

“Go back to your opera, what do you know about scholarly stuff!” Xiao Lijian retorted angrily.

"Pooh!"

Xu Qingfan:
“Little friend, let’s ignore him. Take a look at this calligraphy of mine, my most prized work!” Xiao Lijian took out another framed calligraphy from the box and showed it to Xu Qingfan.

"Tsk tsk tsk~ The form of the characters is completed in one stroke, and even when they are not connected, the blood flow is unbroken. What beautiful characters!" Xu Qingfan clapped and praised.

"Hahaha!" Xiao Lijian was very pleased to hear this. He picked up a calligraphy brush and handed it to Xu Qingfan. "Here, you write the character '之' (zhi). Grandpa will give you some pointers!"

"Okay," Xu Qingfan took the pen and scribbled the character "之" on it.

"No, no, this character is no good. You have to do it this way. Listen to your grandfather," Xiao Lijian immediately began to instruct.

After being tormented for more than an hour, Xiao Ruanwen's mother finally finished preparing lunch.

"Everyone, come out and eat!" Zhao Yuemin called out after placing the last dish on the table.

"Grandpa, let's eat first," Xu Qingfan said awkwardly, pointing towards the dining table.

"Okay, Xiao Fan has a real talent for cursive script! Let's continue after we finish eating!" Xiao Lijian said with a hearty laugh, having finally vented his need to express himself.

"Forehead"

"Fan-ge, you've finished practicing calligraphy!" Xiao Ruanwen heard the call and pulled her three girlfriends out of the room.
“Learn from your classmate. She’s not quiet at all. She complains of being tired after practicing calligraphy for half an hour!” Xiao Lijian patted Xu Qingfan on the shoulder, washed his hands, and sat down in the main seat.

Xiao Ruanwen playfully stuck out her tongue, ignoring her grandfather who picked up a piece of squid with his hand and put it in his mouth.

"Ah~"

"No manners!" Xiao Lijian turned his chopsticks upside down and smacked his granddaughter's hand, then patted the stool next to him, gesturing for Xu Qingfan to come and sit down. "Xiaofan, come sit next to Grandpa!"

"it is good!"

Clearly, if this was a battle to win over the father-in-law, Xu Qingfan had completely won over Xiao Ruanwen's grandfather.

Because her daughter's classmates had been invited over, Zhao Yuemin prepared a very lavish lunch, including whelks, baby lobsters, squid stir-fried with snow peas, and pork tripe and chicken soup—almost like a New Year's feast.

[Paparazzi have photographed Vivian Chow trying on clothes at a bridal shop with a mysterious man. Is the "Jade Girl" getting married? Let's take a look!] Siu Yuen-man's dining table faces the TV. After the opera ended, she switched the TV to Jade Channel, which was showing the midday news. The host was speaking in Cantonese.

"Nonsense! Gossip about an actor is news? Er Ya, change the channel!" Xiao Lijian frowned deeply and shouted at Xiao Ruanwen.

"Oh!" The girl shrugged and switched the TV to CCTV-1.

After the little incident, lunch was enjoyed in a lively and cheerful atmosphere.

"So, is Auntie's cooking better or Xiaofan's?" Zhao Yuemin asked with a smile as she watched her daughter's classmates eating heartily.

"Auntie's food is delicious!" The three girls, displaying their high emotional intelligence, exclaimed in unison.

"Haha, eat more if you like it! Xiao Fan's cooking is also very delicious. Auntie will come to your place for a meal sometime!" Zhao Yuemin was coaxed into a smile.

"Welcome, Auntie, to our home!"

After lunch, the girls helped clear the table as if they were at home. Xu Qingfan wanted to join in, but...

"Xiao Fan, let's continue. We've only just covered the sixth of the eight ways to write the character '之'!" Xiao Lijian patted Xu Qingfan's shoulder with a kind smile.

He instantly put on a bitter face, and the four girls covered their mouths and chuckled.

"coming."

(End of this chapter)