After being universally criticized online, I went viral on military-themed variety shows.

Chapter 676 Tao Jinxi is numb

She's even more beautiful in person than in the photos and videos she's seen in before.

She considered herself a pretty girl, even one of the most beautiful girls in the school lab, but compared to her second cousin-in-law, she felt like they weren't even on the same level.

This confirmed her belief once again: indeed, the more beautiful a person is, the less photogenic they are; the camera limits the beauty of a real person!

But beauty is secondary.

Although their family used to be just an ordinary middle-class family, since their eldest aunt married their uncle, all of their relatives have also risen in status.

As the only girl among the younger generation of the Tao and Li families, she was able to play hide-and-seek with her older brothers and cousins ​​in the backyard garden of the Li family's old house, a place where others didn't even know which way the door faced, since she was a child.

When I was little, all I knew was to eat and play around. But as I grew up and lived with my aunt, I saw and learned more, and that's when I realized what it all meant.

As one's horizons broaden and one's status becomes more established, one inevitably begins to scrutinize others with a degree of critical eye.

Just like Gao Chenyue, whom she met when she went with her brother to pick someone up, even though the other party was not bad-looking, and even prettier than her future sister-in-law when standing next to her, and was very friendly, always appearing as a well-behaved and lovely younger sister in front of and behind others, she could tell at a glance that the well-behaved and friendly appearance was just a facade, and that the real intention was to hide scheming.

The future second cousin's wife was sitting casually on the sofa, holding a dried apricot that was originally on the fruit plate on the coffee table. When she looked over, she took a bite of the apricot in her hand and glanced at her in a nonchalant manner. She was completely at ease and relaxed.

Putting everything else aside, just sitting next to my aunt, with my grandparents and uncle also sitting in the living room, and still being so calm and composed, shows a level of composure that surpasses that of many young people of the same age.

Even when her uncle was around, she used to dare to run up to him and act cute when she was little, but as she grew up, she only dared to go up and say hello. When she sat down, she had to constantly remind herself to be dignified.

Eating leisurely? I wouldn't dare reach out unless an elder handed it to me!

Isn't this far superior to Gao Chenyue's deliberate performance?

No, no, no, the two are not comparable at all.

Comparing her to Gao Chenyue is an insult to this second cousin-in-law!
Seeing that the cousin of the cheap owner in front of her seemed to have taken a fancy to the dried apricot in her hand, Jiang Hanying reached out and took another apricot from the dried fruit plate closer to her and handed it over, saying, "Here you go."

Tao Jinxi hadn't intended to eat it, but instinctively accepted it with both hands, saying, "Thank you, Second Cousin-in-law."

"You're welcome."

Tao Junman was looking towards her son.

Seeing that he didn't even smile or reply to Gao Chenyue, who was quietly getting closer, and didn't even give her a glance, clearly showing no interest whatsoever, he was temporarily relieved.

If her son falls for someone himself, then she'll have no choice but to play the villain.

However, it's best not to be a villain if you can avoid it.

Hearing the conversation around her, Tao Junman turned her gaze away from her son and looked at her niece and future niece-in-law, who had already started talking and eating dried apricots together before she could even introduce them.

Raising an eyebrow, she chuckled and teased, "You two have already met? I thought you'd be the same age and would have common topics to discuss." Seeing her niece sitting so properly, and remembering that Jiang Hanying had been sitting with her for a while, she added, "Hanying, would you like to go out for some fresh air? Let Xiaoxi show you around."

Upon hearing this, Tao Jinxi immediately stood up, her movements incredibly enthusiastic. "Second cousin-in-law, shall I take you for a walk in the yard? Grandpa keeps two big turtles and lots of big, fat fish in the yard, and there are many birds in the backyard..."

They knew it all like the back of their hand.

"Okay."

Jiang Hanying wasn't one to sit still, and the fact that she could sit quietly with the elders in the living room for a while was thanks to the abundance of food and drinks on the coffee table in front of her.

She was naturally happy to go out for a walk. The two of them quietly slipped out through a side door.

Upon entering the courtyard, Tao Jinxi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and then, true to her word, she took Jiang Hanying to see the turtles.

"Second cousin's wife..."

"My aunt said we're the same age, so you can just call me Hanying."

"Okay, then you can just call me Xiaoxi. Look, these are the yellow-margined box turtles that Grandpa raised. Aren't they big? They're about the same age as us. Do you want to try feeding them carrot sticks? They love them the most. They're so relaxing."

Jiang Hanying looked at Tao Jinxi, who was already squatting in front of the Prime Minister's residence with two turtles, and was taking out a few carrot sticks from the food box next to her to attract the turtles to eat. After hesitating for a moment, she still took the carrot sticks that Tao Jinxi handed her.

Although this turtle looks quite big, its head is only sticking out a tiny bit, so it shouldn't be afraid of her, right?
The results backfired.

She had just walked up to them and hadn't even had a chance to squat down and start feeding them when she saw the two turtles, who were stretching their necks to reach the carrot sticks, quickly retract their heads and then turn around at a speed completely out of character for their bulky bodies. They swung their limbs forward rapidly and finally dove headfirst into the bottom of the pool.

Seeing this, Jiang Hanying silently stuffed the carrot stick she hadn't yet fed into her own mouth and took a bite, "Crunch!"

It was indeed crunchy and sweet!

Tao Jinxi stared blankly at the two turtles that had suddenly disappeared under the water and were no longer showing their faces. She then looked at the carrot sticks she had just eaten a few bites of and was still a little confused.

Why did you suddenly stop eating?

This has never happened before; they always chase after me for food!
If the carrot sticks in her hand hadn't already been gnawed on by the turtle, she herself would have wanted to taste them to see if they were stale.

Upon hearing the crisp crackling sound above his head, he looked up and blurted out before he could even think: "Is it delicious?"

"Mmm, it's crisp and sweet."

Why did the turtle suddenly stop eating and run to hide at the bottom of the pool?

Jiang Hanying swallowed the carrot in her mouth. Seeing the confusion on her face, she silently decided to pretend she didn't know either.

After waiting a while longer, seeing that the turtles still showed no sign of surfacing, Tao Jinxi had no choice but to give up waiting. "Never mind, let's go feed the fish."

When they reached the large fish tank, she skillfully picked up the fish food placed on the platform and scattered it down. "Hanying, look..."

What are you looking at?

The bighead carp, which used to eagerly swim up to grab food every time they were fed, were now like dead fish, letting the fish food spill all over the surface of the water, and not a single one of them swam up to eat.

what the hell is this?

"Birds, there are birds!"

Tao Jinxi then led Jiang Hanying through the corridor to the backyard.

Teacher Tao's birds are all free-range, meaning there are no birdcages. Instead, he has carefully designed numerous birdhouses and nests under the eaves of buildings and among the branches of trees in the courtyard. After years of training, as long as you blow a whistle, the birds will fly over and compete to peck at the millet worms prepared for them, and you can even catch them in your hand and play with them.

Tao Jinxi also carefully prepared millet and insects that the birds like. She imitated her grandfather by blowing a loud whistle and went out. She looked up expectantly, but there was not a bird in the sky, nor the various melodious bird calls that she used to hear. It was as if they had all lost their voices.

After a while, a feather drifted by.

Tao Jinxi: I'm numb, really!