spring bite mark

Chapter 183 Biological Father
The couple had expected that their child wouldn't be able to keep up with the pinyin. They just hadn't anticipated...

"Did the teacher tag you?"

"Yeah, the Chinese teacher tagged over a dozen parents who are falling behind in the class in the group chat, and ours is one of them." Yan Changye looked slightly embarrassed as he took a screenshot of the class group chat and sent it to Jiang Manman for 'admiration'.

Chinese Language Teacher Zhang: [The following four students failed the pinyin dictation this morning: @Y @Xu Chengxi's mother @Jiang Yi's father. First grade is a crucial period for building a solid foundation, so please supervise your children closely.]

Chinese Language Teacher Zhang: [@Y, Yan Yu and Xie Jian make a lot of mistakes in pinyin. Their pronunciation and writing are still basically following English standards. Yan Yu's father, please correct them at home. Also, Xie Jian failed the math diagnostic test. It is recommended that parents help their child strengthen their calculation skills.]

Chinese Language Teacher Zhang: [@Y, please change your group name card to [Meet Dad + Mobile Number] for easier communication.]

Chinese Language Teacher Zhang: [@Xu Chengxi's mother, Xu Chengxi can't write one-third of the pinyin. Parents, please pay attention.]

Chinese Language Teacher Zhang: [@Jiang Yi's father, Jiang Yi bribed Xie Jian with a lollipop to let him see the answers during the test. Parents of both children, please discipline them properly at home.]

Xu Chengxi's mother: [Okay. Teacher, my child has already memorized all the textbooks for elementary school. I really didn't expect him to falter on something as basic as pinyin. I'll arrange for a tutor to help him catch up.]

Jiang Yi's father: [...My son used to get A's without even looking at other people's answers, he was just lazy and didn't like to use his brain. I never thought he'd copy someone else's answers without finding a top student [laughing and crying emoji]]

Y: [Heh]

...The chat was relatively normal up to this point. But then, a series of IDs appeared after Yan Changye's seemingly cold "heh":

Meet a Chinese Language Tutor: [Received, will arrange tutoring for your child immediately]

Meet the nutritionist: [Received. With increased academic pressure, I'll immediately prepare a brain-boosting soup for my child.]

Meet Butler #1: [Received. I'll rearrange the schedule for the two young masters and make time for extra lessons.]

Thank you for your help with math tutoring: [Received, a targeted calculation training plan has been developed.]

Xie Jian, bodyguard: [Received. From now on, the car stereo will play pinyin teaching audio throughout the entire pick-up and drop-off process.]

……

Jiang Manman was a little speechless: "How many people did you add to the class group?"

Yan Changye said lazily, "The three tutors, the two butlers at the old house and No. 1 Mansion, as well as their bodyguards, nutritionists, and life assistants, make up a total of eight people."

"..." Jiang Manman was stunned for a while. "You should keep a low profile."

Yan Changye gave a listless "hmm": "I only said one word."

However, a single word from the Crown Prince was enough to send shivers down the spines of those below, prompting all sorts of terrified speculations.

"Just keep two tutors in the group, and let the rest leave," Jiang Manman sighed. "It's not appropriate to bring a whole bunch of people into the group like this."

Yan Changye gave a faint "hmm".

Even if Jiang Manman didn't say anything, Yan Changye felt embarrassed seeing the string of passionate replies in the group that sounded like a pyramid scheme.

He stopped talking about that unpleasant topic and instead asked about other things:
"How is your first day in Chongqing, Madam?"

Jiang Manman had a very good impression of Chongqing: "It's not bad. It's a very inclusive city, a completely different feeling from the capital."

"Can you get used to the food?" Yan Changye asked again. "That city is famous for its spicy food."

"Yes, there's a lot of food, and the taste is very authentic." Jiang Manman was in high spirits. "I've eaten Chongqing hot pot and specialty dishes a few times in Beijing, but when I actually came to Chongqing, I found that the difference was huge."

"I'll have the housekeeper hire a local Chongqing chef to cook Chongqing cuisine for my wife at home from now on."

“That’s not the same either.” Jiang Manman chuckled. “It also has to do with the local ingredients in Chongqing. Just the chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns taste very different from those in the capital.”

"Then we can just prepare a special plane to airlift the ingredients from Chongqing to No. 1 Residence," Yan Changye said calmly. "So that Madam won't be so happy about a meal that she forgets about home and delays her return."

Jiang Manman: "..." "Has Madam seen the person she wanted to see?" Yan Changye asked again.

Jiang Manman shook her head: "Not yet, I'll see you tomorrow."

Yan Changye paused for two seconds, then asked with a playful tone, "Nervous?"

Jiang Manman thought for a moment: "I'm not planning to confront them head-on yet."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he received a message on his phone from the bodyguard regarding Huo Mingcai's schedule for the next day.

Teahouse in the northern district of Chongqing.

The lingering aroma of tea marked the start of Huo Mingcai's first order of the day.

After a simple supply contract was signed at the tea table, Huo Ming casually put the document away and poured tea for the customer: "Brother Yang, come, come, have some tea."

“Brother Huo, this contract has been delayed for three or four days. I thought you had looked for another company.” The client picked up his tea, took a sip, and said, “We’ve been brothers for over ten years. I was even ready to go to your door with a stick and confront you.”

"Brother Yang, do you think I'm that kind of person?" Although Huo Mingcai was almost fifty, his pale skin and delicate features made him look like he was a generation younger than Brother Yang, who was about the same age. "I went to Shanghai a few days ago and only came back last night. As soon as I got back, I went to see Brother Yang."

"Going to Shanghai?" Brother Yang was a little surprised. "I have to say, Brother Huo, you're really something! You've expanded your business to an international metropolis like Shanghai!"

“What are you talking about? I’m looking for my youngest son.” Huo Mingcai’s tone dropped a bit. “There was a photo in the mutual aid group that looked a bit like my eldest son. I thought, since they’re twins, what if it really is my youngest son? But it turns out it’s not. Another family has taken him away.”

Yang felt a pang of sympathy and didn't know what to say for a moment: "Don't talk about sad things, come and have some tea."

"Just drinking tea isn't very interesting. I'm free this afternoon, how about we play mahjong?" Huo Mingcai quickly composed himself. "I'll call up a couple of buddies, and we can play all night long?"

"Playing all night?" Brother Yang gave him a strange look. "Your wife is probably going to grab a knife and flip the card table over..."

"Hey, hey, hey, my wife is very gentle, don't try to sow discord," Huo Mingcai said reflexively. "Just tell me if you want to go or not?"

"No thanks." Brother Yang shook his head. "I have to go on a business trip soon. There's an urgent shipment to deliver to Chengdu. Wait for me to finish."

Huo Mingcai nodded, and the two sat for another ten minutes or so before Brother Yang left.

Huo Mingcai finished the last sip of tea and prepared to get up. His phone rang.

"Old Yu, what's up?"

After hearing what was said over there, Huo Mingcai's expression turned serious: "Guangxi, really?"

A few minutes later, Huo Ming hung up the phone, sat silently for a while, and then dialed another number:
"Honey, send me 20,000 yuan and book me a plane ticket for this afternoon. Lao Yu said the police in Guangxi found a girl in her twenties who had been abducted deep in the mountains. She seems to have a birthmark on her body. I want to go see if she's my youngest child..."

He spoke as he hurriedly left.

Separated by a screen.

On the other side of the screen, inside a private room, Jiang Manman slowly put down her teacup.

The apricot-colored soft gauze embroidered cheongsam outlined her delicate waist, her long, slightly wavy black hair was casually tied up, revealing her smooth and slender neck and her beautiful face. Coupled with the top-notch temperament cultivated over more than ten years, she could fill the room with radiance just by sitting there quietly.

The owner came over to refill the tea with great enthusiasm, his tone tinged with a cautious whisper: "Young lady, our buckwheat tea is also quite good, especially in the summer to cool you down. Would you like to try it?"

Jiang Manman didn't answer, but asked in a soft voice, "Boss, that customer just now said... he lost his youngest son?"

"Oh, you mean Boss Huo? He lost his daughter." The boss was obviously very familiar with Huo Mingcai. "In our Yucheng, whether it's a boy or a girl, if they're good-looking, we all call them 'Yao'er' (meaning 'youngest child')."

Jiang Manman pondered for a moment, then stood up, politely nodded to the boss, and took her leave.

(End of this chapter)