Why did the system take my request to take photos with a cosplayer seriously?

Hua Qing didn't say anything more and turned to walk back.

Baima followed behind, her heart pounding with joy as she touched the bulging red envelope in her pocket.

Back in the living room, while the girls went to visit the back garden, Bai Ma walked straight up to Ding Heng, took out a red envelope from her pocket, and waved it.

"Brother, look, what a thick red envelope!"

Baima, purely enjoying the spectacle, remarked: "It seems the women here are all quite generous."

Ding Heng glanced at her but didn't reply.

Bai Ma wasn't annoyed; she leaned close to Ding Heng's ear and whispered something in his ear.

"Brother, don't worry, I've basically figured out the situation between the three sisters-in-law, and I promise I won't cause you any trouble!"

She stepped back half a step and patted the red envelope in her pocket.

"But the New Year's money my sisters-in-law give me can't make up for the pocket money that was taken from me, so maybe..."

Bai Ma rolled her eyes and chuckled mischievously.

"Brother, can you find two more?"

Chapter 153: The Women's Swimsuit Competition

Ding Heng teased, "Well, so you're still thinking about the allowance you got docked?"

"Of course!"

Baima said confidently, "Going from 50,000 to 5,000 in a month is a huge hole!"

Ding Heng took out his phone, pretending to dial a number: "How about I call Aunt Qu Zhen and ask her to fix the hole for you?"

No, no, no!

Baima grabbed Ding Heng's phone, a smile spreading across her face: "Brother, look, we're partners now. You help me cover up my fake illness, and I'll cover for you. Isn't that great!"

Ding Heng chuckled: "What kind of cover are you talking about?"

Baima gestured towards the backyard and lowered her voice: "The three sisters-in-law are living peacefully together. Isn't this cover important? We both have each other's weaknesses now!"

Ding Heng was both amused and exasperated: "You consider this leverage?"

"Why doesn't it count?"

Bai Ma stood with her hands on her hips, her small frame ramrod straight: "If I tell Uncle Ding, do you think he'll punish you?"

Ding Heng was too lazy to argue with her, so he reached out and patted her head lightly: "Alright, stop making a fuss."

"Ouch!"

Pema covered her head, about to protest, when the backyard gate was pushed open.

Zhao Yanxi walked at the front, holding a freshly broken red plum blossom in her hand, her smile more radiant than the flower itself.

"Brother Ding Heng! There are plum blossoms in your backyard!"

She skipped and hopped over, holding the red plum blossoms up in front of Ding Heng.

"Is it pretty?"

"nice."

"Are the flowers prettier or am I prettier?"

"Stop being silly..."

Ding Heng took the flowers and casually placed them in the vase in the entryway: "Is everything tidied up?"

Zhao Yanxi nodded and began making arrangements: "We can leave at any time!"

Baima stepped forward and asked, "Where are you going, sister-in-law?"

"Hot springs! Baima, are you going?"

"Go! Go! Go!"

Baima readily agreed and quickly ran upstairs, saying, "Wait for me to change my clothes!"

The black van in the garage could seat just six people.

Ding Heng acted as the driver, Hua Qing sat in the passenger seat, and the four girls in the back seat were neither crowded nor empty.

The car drove out of the villa area and first arrived at the old street in the suburbs.

Ding Heng slowed down and glanced out the window. His grandparents' convenience store was half-open, with red lanterns hanging at the entrance, the festive atmosphere of the New Year still lingering.

Wenjing asked softly, "Would you like to go inside and sit for a while?"

Ding Heng shook his head: "No need, we're in a hurry."

When Hua Qing and Zhao Yanxi went to see their maternal grandparents at this time, they had to pretend to be "ordinary friends," which inevitably led to awkwardness.

The car continued driving forward, and the houses on both sides of the road became increasingly sparse, while the fields became more and more numerous.

After driving for about forty minutes, the navigation indicated that we were about to arrive at our destination.

Lingxiang is called a county seat, but it's actually more like a larger town.

Although it has some tourism resources, the development is very average, and even the high-end hot spring hotels feel cheap.

The main street is not long, and most of the houses on both sides are three or four-story self-built houses with white ceramic tiles on the exterior walls. Some of them also have signs that read "XX Hotel" or "XX Local Cuisine Restaurant".

There weren't many pedestrians on the street, and occasionally an electric scooter would drive by.

Zhao Yanxi's booked hot spring guesthouse is located at the western end of Lingxiang County, which is more than 20 minutes away by car.

Ding Heng asked curiously, "How did you decide to choose this location?"

Zhao Yanxi said proudly, "I saw online bloggers' reviews, and this newly opened private hot spring guesthouse is particularly good."

Ding Heng chuckled: "You believe online reviews?"

Zhao Yanxi retorted, "What if it's really good?"

Gradually, the road became narrower and narrower, and the houses on both sides were mostly three or four-story self-built houses with white ceramic tiles or mosaics on the exterior walls and colorful signs.

Occasionally you can see a few antique-style buildings, but the workmanship is rough, and they look like they were rushed out in recent years.

Zhao Yanxi peered out the car window, her anticipation gradually fading.

"This... seems a little different from what I saw online..."

"Is it still not too late to turn around and head to the hot spring hotel in the county?"

"do not want!"

Zhao Yanxi stubbornly said, "Since we're already here!"

The car drove through the main road of the county town, turned onto a side road, and after driving for a few more minutes, a bamboo forest appeared ahead.

Deep in the bamboo forest, several white-walled and gray-tiled buildings are faintly visible.

The car stopped at the entrance, and everyone got out.

The guesthouse was better than I expected; at least it looked clean.

The white walls were newly painted, and the black tiles were newly laid. A wooden plaque hung above the door, with the four characters "Tangquan Yaju" written on it.

The receptionist was a young woman with a professional smile.

Zhao Yanxi gave the reservation information, the receptionist flipped through the registration book a few times, and looked up.

"Ms. Zhao, right? Three rooms for two nights, already reserved for you."

Zhao Yanxi took the room key and began assigning rooms.

"Ding Heng, Xiao Jingjing, and I share one room, while Hua Qing and Hua Yue share another..."

She counted the heads and then looked at the room key in her hand.

Does Baima live alone?

After all, Baima is only a high school student, so Zhao Yanxi couldn't help but worry.

Baima blinked and stood obediently without saying a word.

Hua Qing spoke up at the right moment: "Let Hua Yue stay alone, and Bai Ma can share a room with me."

Zhao Yanxi glanced at Hua Qing, then at Bai Ma, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.

She had wanted to ask this for a long time: how did Baima and Huaqing meet?

Hua Qing not only made Hanfu for her, but now she also takes the initiative to share a room with her, making her cousin Hua Yue feel like an outsider.

After the rooms were assigned, everyone went to settle their luggage.

Zhao Yanxi lagged behind and leaned closer to Baima, asking curiously, "Baima, do you know Sister Hua Qing?"

Baima calmly replied, "Yes, I know him. My brother recommended him!"

"Your brother?"

"I wanted to try Hanfu, so I asked my brother if he knew anyone knowledgeable about it, and he recommended Sister Hua Qing to me."

"is it?"

Zhao Yanxi glanced between Hua Qing and Bai Ma, then didn't ask any further questions.

At the end of the second-floor corridor, there are three rooms side by side.

Ding Heng and Zhao Yanxi were quietly sitting at the very back. The room wasn't large, and the decor was Japanese-style, with tatami mats, a low table, and sliding doors...

But upon closer inspection, you can see that the wood is veneered, the paper door is plastic, and there are price tags that haven't been completely removed from the corners of the walls.

Overall, it was fairly clean, and the view from the balcony was decent, offering a view of the distant green hillsides and a clear blue sky.

Zhao Yanxi threw her bag on the bed, rolled around on the tatami, and exclaimed, "It's alright, it's better than I expected!"

Ding Heng put his suitcase in the corner: "Didn't you say it was a newly opened upscale guesthouse?"

"It looks pretty high-end in the promotional photos..."

Zhao Yanxi lay on the bed, her legs raised and swinging: "Who knew the actual product would be like this... But it doesn't matter, the important thing is the hot spring!"

She turned around, got up, opened the large bag she had brought, and began taking things out.