Electronic Nezha

Chapter 189 Travel
That day, I unusually didn't go for a run and slept until almost 8 o'clock before getting up. After having breakfast, Ma Chaoran appeared carrying a travel bag, and Koi and Shark also looked ready to go.

Yuan Yuan also helped me pack my luggage, carefully arranging which items in my bag were for me and which were for Liu Zhenhua.

Yes, we're going on a trip.

The story begins with Liu Zhenhua getting first place in his grade. I felt I couldn't keep this from his grandparents, so I told them. Contrary to my expectations, his grandfather didn't show any strong emotional fluctuations; only his grandmother clapped her hands vigorously on the other end of the phone.

I thought the matter was over, but I didn't expect to receive another call from his grandfather that same day—to celebrate, he decided to invite the whole family to a newly opened hot spring hotel in another city for two days.

My first instinct was to refuse; we'd be gone for two days, and the work at the Sixth Division would be several times more demanding. But his grandfather was adamant, so I eventually agreed. The old man is getting older, and these opportunities are becoming fewer and fewer. Whether you're a savior or his father, you still have to fulfill your filial duties.

So, today we're going to a hot spring hotel in another city. We're going to pick up Liu Zhenhua's grandparents now. Dolphin has already gone ahead to that place, while Shark and Koi will drive another car to protect Liu Zhenhua and me. As for Lao Ma, she can now accompany us as a "family member." Her grandfather specifically instructed that we must bring Ma Chaoran this time, and everything will be based on her schedule. That's how this trip came about.

When we arrived at the courtyard, the elderly man who stayed behind said to me, "Just have fun this time and treat yourself like an ordinary person."

"He's just an ordinary person anyway, why don't you come along, Sixth Master? It's such a good opportunity for a publicly funded trip."

Sixth Master waved his hand and said, "No, there's a water heater in the Sixth Division."

Hmm, is the old man hinting at something?
The chubby boy rubbed his hands together excitedly and said, "Now that you're gone, Yuanyuan can focus on helping me rank up. She's all mine now, hahaha!"

The three of us got into Ma Chaoran's SUV. Ma Chaoran said, "I feel really sorry for Xiao Wu. I hope it doesn't think I've changed my mind about it?" It's 500 kilometers from here to the hotel. Xiao Wu is an early model electric car, and charging is a big problem, so it can't go long distances.

When I arrived at Grandpa and Grandma Liu Zhenhua's building, I was about to make a phone call when the elderly couple came out. They had been waiting for us inside the building. The old man had bought a new sporty down jacket, the kind that young people wear, which made him look ten years younger. My mother, unusually, had dressed herself up like a wealthy lady.

I was driving. Ma Chaoran got out of the car to greet my parents and invited my dad to sit in the passenger seat. My dad quickly slipped into the back seat and said, "You sit, you sit. It's such a long journey, he won't get sleepy if you keep him company."

Liu Zhenhua greeted them, saying, "Hello, Grandpa and Grandma."

His grandmother patted Liu Zhenhua's head and said, "Look at my grandson who's number one in his grade!" Then she stuffed 500 yuan into his hand and said, "Take this and buy some books."

I said speechlessly, "He won't buy books. Don't spoil him."

Liu Zhenhua had already pocketed the money and said, "Buy books, buy books, I love reading now."

I glanced back at the elderly couple. They took off their coats, revealing new clothes underneath. I chuckled and said, "What were you thinking? Did you bleed a lot of money?"

My dad said, "Our son is doing well, and our grandson is first in his grade, so what's there to be upset about? We should save where we can and spend where we can. It's settled then, all the expenses for this trip are mine, and you're not allowed to pay for the gas."

Ma Chaoran smiled and said, "Is that so? Thank you, Uncle."

Actually, I understand that the old couple were afraid of embarrassing me in front of Ma Chaoran. They didn't care about spending money on their son and grandson, but they probably felt bad about spending those two new outfits on themselves.

Once the car was on the road, my dad finally had a chance to properly examine his eldest grandson. The old man suddenly said, "Don't put pressure on yourself for the next exam. Grandpa thinks it would be great if he could get into the top 100 in the grade." This was based on the experience of my distant cousin; he was worried about the tires being too inflated and bursting, so he let some air out first…

My mom said disdainfully, "If you can't speak properly, then don't. Why did we go from first to 100th?" My dad said, "He went from 300th to first." The old man said happily, "See? I told you boys don't need much supervision once they've figured things out!"

Ma Chaoran patted me on the shoulder without making a sound; she was clearly mocking me.

My mom saw everything we were doing and seemed to be talking to herself, saying, "If you can't find the knack for studying, you can find other knacks too—Zhenhua, if you have a girl you like but she doesn't pay attention to you, don't worry about it. Go to a good university, find a good job, and you won't have to worry about not having a girlfriend." It seems that my cousin really was troubled by love, which led to his sudden downfall.

Children Liu Zhenhua's age are immune to and find troublesome when the elderly talk like this, so the conversation between the two elders and the child gradually veers off-topic, with one person saying one thing and another saying another. However, the atmosphere in the car is quite harmonious, which is probably what family happiness is all about.

We set off quite late, and after driving 500 kilometers, we definitely wouldn't have lunch yet, so my mom brought a big bag of all kinds of food, including must-haves for senior groups like melon, bread, and eggs, as well as snacks like potato chips, ham sausages, and wafers. She kept stuffing food into Ma Chaoran's mouth, and Ma Chaoran would keep feeding me whenever the road conditions were good.

My dad suddenly said, "Xiao Ma, can we meet your parents during the Chinese New Year? If they feel it's inconvenient for them to come here, we can go to Hainan together, and I'll pay for it."

I couldn't help but tease, "You've finally figured out how to spend money—the market is so busy before the New Year."

My dad said, "I think you're obsessed with money."

Ma Chaoran said, "It's unlikely. My parents haven't officially retired yet, so it would be quite troublesome for them to go to another place."

My dad said, "Oh, is it convenient for us to go to your parents' place?"

I quickly changed the subject, "Dad, are you going to the restroom at the service area up ahead?"

My dad said, "Then let's go to one."

My mom said, "You've only gone a short distance. Didn't you just go there at home?"

"Time waits for no one, how old am I?"

After the car exited the highway and stopped at the service area, my dad strolled into the supermarket, and I also planned to get out of the car for a smoke. As soon as I got out, Koi and Shark jumped out of the car following behind. They probably thought I was going to the restroom too. Neither of them smokes, which meant that if I didn't go to the restroom, they would have nothing to do but go back to the car. Moreover, even if one of them wanted to go, they couldn't leave their post.

I waved to Liu Zhenhua and said, "Come on, let's go too."

Liu Zhenhua said awkwardly, "I...no."

“Go even if you don’t have to,” I whispered to him. “Don’t let your two brothers waste their feelings.”

So my son and I headed to the supermarket. Koi and sharks came up to us from both sides. I've had bodyguards for quite a while now, but this was the first time I'd ever been escorted to the restroom. It felt rather strange.

As the koi fish walked along, it tactfully whispered, "Protect the big boss from peeing!"

The funny GIFs I had back in school have finally come to life!

(End of this chapter)