Jin Duofu completely changed his usually noisy deanor, blushing and following behind Tian Sisi, staring at the ground, so distracted that he didn’t even know how to walk properly. Seeing this, Tian Sisi wanted to laugh and reminded him from behind. Jin Duofu’s face turned even redder as the young boy felt silly for the first ti, making a fool of himself in front of a pretty girl.
He Xuewen’s new house has already had the first floor built, and now they were working on the second floor. Chengsi along with Qinghua, Donghua, and Jian Country were playing up in the mountains. Upon seeing Tian Sisi, He Chengsi imdiately threw Qinghua who was on his back, clowning around, to the ground. He Chengsi smiled warmly as he approached Tian Sisi.
"Sisi, did you have a good nap? Why not sleep a little longer?"
Rising from the ground, Tian Qinghua, furious, spit the mud from his mouth. This darn kid, daring to throw down, he roared and charged, pinning He Chengsi down to the ground. The two of them rolled down the slope, making Tian Sisi laugh "Go Brother He!" and then "Go Brother Qinghua!", reveling in the chaos.
Everyone was of about the sa age and loved to bicker. Soon enough, the rather shy Jin Duofu joined their ruckus. Tir Sisi wasn’t into climbing trees or collecting bird eggs, so after a while, she went to find He Xuewen. He Xuewen had just returned from town; he had recently bought a bicycle that made trips to town much more convenient.
He Xuewen saw his precious daughter dressed in the outfit he bought for her, looking as adorable as an angel, his eyes squinted with joy. He pulled a White Rabbit Creamy Candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it in Tian Sisi’s mouth. Tian Sisi ate the candy in one go. In the ’70s, White Rabbit was one of the few candies she found palatable, not even caring to glance at other candies like fruit drops.
Hence, He Xuewen specially bought quite a few White Rabbit candies, keeping several in his pocket each day to feed her whenever he saw his precious daughter. The several tis Tian Manjin saw this, he was quite envious, fiercely asking Tian Mantong to also buy White Rabbit candies for him to mimic He Xuewen by feeding Tian Sisi whenever he saw her. This led to Tian Sisi’s mouth always tasting like milk lately. Nevertheless, she found the flavor of White Rabbit nowadays quite nice and acceptable to eat more of. Most importantly, she enjoyed the feeling of being fed by both daddies, filled with love.
"Nan, next ti Daddy will buy you a piece of red checkered cloth and make a dress of this style for you. Nan will definitely look beautiful."
"Sure, I love wearing dresses. I also want those black woolen socks, Daddy, please buy so for too. Daddy, do you have enough money? If not, I have quite a lot."
After spending ti together, Tian Sisi now could sincerely call him Daddy without any reservations. Tian Sisi saying she had a lot of money wasn’t an exaggeration. Recently, the money gained from selling wine and the cost of grain, she only spent on buying a cara, saving the rest. Adding it up, Tian Sisi had accrued savings of one to two thousand, which at the ti was considered quite wealthy. Moreover, Old Man also showed her the savings book of the dowry that Tian Mantong had been saving for her; it already had over three thousand. Old Man didn’t give the savings book to Tian Sisi yet, saying he would keep it for her until she was a bit older.
Tian Sisi was deeply touched by the care of Tian Mantong, Tian Manjin, and Old Man. She hadn’t expected them to be so protective of her, soone with no blood relation, even better than if she were their own kin. Tian Sisi made up her mind to brew more health-boosting wines, wishing her loved ones health and longevity, becoming centenarians. That was the only way of repaynt she could think of.
"Daddy, I have enough money, keep Nan’s money safe. Since the Tian Family is so good to us, we should also repay them well. When the ti cos, Daddy can go to Sui City and bring back more fabric to distribute to the Tian Family, so they can make clothes." Tian Sisi also shared this idea with He Xuewen. He too hadn’t expected Old Man and Tian Mantong to dote on his daughter so deeply. His heart was deeply moved too. If before he just harbored the thought of repaying a kindness, now he genuinely wanted to deepen the ties with the Tian Family.
"Alright, use my money," Tian Sisi wanted to take out money from the Space but was stopped by He Xuewen.
"Daddy has money, besides, Daddy’s money is yours too." He Xuewen truly wasn’t short on money. Over the years, he had earned quite a sum, owning several bank books, enough to forge a prosperous life for his daughter. Plus, he had just made a good profit on a recent trip to Sui City, so money really wasn’t an issue for him.
Most importantly, He Xuewen was confident. The He Family had been a prestigious family for centuries. The wealth in the He Family Treasure Vault was enough for them to spend over ten generations and not run out. The items that the Rebel Faction ssed with were rely placed by him outside to attract the attention of adversaries, the real wealth of the He Family was in the vault, and only he knew its location. Soday, he would take his daughter there, retrieving all the items to keep them safe in her blessed land. That would be the safest course.
He Xuewen has been engaged in the business of arbitrage for the past ten years, buying cheap goods from Area A and selling them in Area B. Such business was extrely risky during that era, yet driven by high profits, there were still many who engaged in it, particularly those with connections. Thus, through this business, not only did He Xuewen make money, he also built a wide network of contacts.
Therefore, even though his enemies knew He Xuewen was alive, they didn’t dare to openly target him. After He Xuewen had sent the fine wines brewed by Tian Sisi to those high-ranking individuals, his network expanded even further, making money beca a rather effortless affair.
Tian Sisi didn’t insist. Seeing He Xuewen’s complexion had beco much rosier, she asked, "Daddy, have you finished your Lung Nourishing Wine? Should I bring out two more bottles for you tonight?"
"There’s still so left. I’ll ask you for more when I finish it. Be very careful with the wine mixed with Jade Liquid. Only drink it at ho and do not give it away to others, understand?" He Xuewen reminded her once again. The healing effects of the Lung Nourishing Wine were astounding, and his health was improving day by day—soon, he would be as good as any normal man.
"I know, I only gave so to Grandpa and Little Uncle. Grandpa told Little Uncle and the others that it was dicinal wine brewed from herbs he procured. Second Grand Uncle’s family thinks the sa, no one will know," Tian Sisi said with a giggly smile.
He Xuewen patted Tian Sisi on the head and told her to go play with Chengsi and the others. Before she left, he couldn’t resist the urge to pop a piece of candy into her mouth. Tian Sisi then laid on him and rummaged through his upper pocket, taking out all the candies to share later with Donghua and the others. He Xuewen smiled warmly, enjoying the father-daughter interaction.
After Tian Sisi left, a worker laughed and said, "Mr. He, you and Ah Nan from the Tian Family are really close; look how Ah Nan doesn’t act reserved around you."
"I really like Ah Nan, she’s both beautiful and smart. If I had such a wonderful daughter, I’d be laughing in my dreams," He Xuewen replied, pulling out a Xin’anjiang cigarette for the worker.
The worker happily accepted the cigarette and tucked it behind his ear. Mr. He was always generous; every ti he pulled out cigarettes, they were always top brands like Xin’anjiang, Li Qun, or West Lake. He’d smoked more high-end cigarettes recently than in the previous decades combined—it was simply delightful.
"If Mr. He really likes Ah Nan, why not just formally acknowledge her as your goddaughter? Then Ah Nan could call you ’Daddy’." The worker had heard about He Xuewen’s own daughter going missing, which prompted this suggestion.
A light shone in He Xuewen’s eyes—right, why hadn’t he thought of this excellent solution before? If he couldn’t acknowledge his own, he could acknowledge a goddaughter. Elated, He Xuewen threw almost the entire pack of Xin’anjiang cigarettes to the worker and joyfully went to find Zhong Fugao. To formalize such a goddaughter, a middleman was needed, and Zhong Fugao was the perfect candidate.
That evening, the Tian Family was bustling with activity. Tian Mantong also arrived, having just returned from Shanghai with hundreds of dollars from selling wine, and sothing wrapped in black plastic. As he entered the courtyard, he loudly called out to Tian Sisi, "Ah Nan, look what Little Uncle has brought you!"
At that mont, the Jins had just sat down, with Zhong Boqiang and his son and Tian Bajin’s family joining them. As usual, n hosted the guests while won and children ate at a separate table. Tian Sisi still sat beside the Old Man, prompting the Jins to reassess the level of favoritism she enjoyed, especially Zhong Cuixu, who coveted the wealth of the Tian Family yet did not want a too spoilt daughter-in-law at ho, feeling quite conflicted (though she didn’t consider whether the Tian Family would agree to marry their daughter to her son).
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