Me at two years old, a queen!

They walked slowly up the man-made stone steps to the village on the mountain. Scattered throughout the mountain were houses with distinctive ethnic characteristics, arranged in a pleasing, haphazard fashion.

Located halfway up the mountain, a large concrete area was bustling with activity, where dozens of simple folding round tables and chairs were set up, covered with a layer of magenta plastic sheeting.

Each table was set with a fruit platter, a snack, bowls, cigarettes, alcohol, and drinks, but no chopsticks. A few elderly women, either villagers or tourists, were already scattered around each table.

Smoke rose from the tiled-roofed wooden houses not far away, and the aroma of carefully prepared food wafted through the village on the evening breeze.

Young men and women were playing folk music, while enthusiastic and cheerful women sang unique folk songs. Men and women dressed in exotic ethnic costumes sang and danced, with tourists and children interspersed among them.

An'an was lifted up and saw this scene. She felt like she couldn't take it all in. Ever since starting kindergarten a few days ago, she has been enjoying playing with her friends, so she excitedly wiggled her little feet.

Seeing the noisy environment, Lu Junxing frowned but didn't put her down: "Don't run around. Bad guys love stupid kids like you! They'll kill one with a single punch!"

"Hmph~, I'm not stupid!"

The man put her down at the entrance and gave her some final instructions. Lu Jing was giving a gift and inquiring about the local customs. He watched her restless little feet shuffling left and right, and he knew tonight was bound to be anything but peaceful.

"Wow~, Daddy, I want to eat that?"

Lu Junxing picked up a piece of coconut milk cake, looked at it, and then gave her one: "Eat less, you've gained two pounds!"

"Oh dear, everyone gains weight during the New Year holidays, so don't you dare cut back on my precious grandson's food!"

"Hee hee~"

Lu Junxing looked at the little girl sitting on the bench, showing her tiny teeth as she listened to their conversation, and pinched her cheek: "You're all this fat, but you can't even win a fight!"

"Go on, dance a little something to repay your good grandfather!"

Lu Jing cursed under his breath, then smiled and pointed at a group of children dancing: "An'an~, come on, let's perform one too~, let's dazzle them!"

An'an was happily lifted off the long bench by her grandfather. Looking at the man with his eyes closed, she suddenly pounced on him: "Daddy~, don't close your eyes! I'm going to blind you~"

The man stared helplessly at the little figure who trotted towards the center, clumsily spun around, and finally plopped down on its bottom.

Everyone closed their eyes in embarrassment upon seeing this. Lu Jing tried to salvage the situation by saying, "Haha, after all, we don't have the singing and dancing genes of ethnic minorities. Our An'an has lofty ambitions; isn't she going to become the little CEO Lu?"

"I think learning a violin or piano is enough; our child is proficient in those too!"

Lu Junxing didn't expose his troublesome intelligence to further embarrass him. Instead, he and Zhao Jingtang were rinsing their bowls with hot tea. Zhao Jingtang casually asked the older woman serving the dishes, "Are you forgetting about these chopsticks?"

"Oh my, you must be from out of town. You're so particular; we've already washed all these dishes."

"No, the child was fussy just now, so it got a little dirty. I'll rinse it off!"

Seeing this, Lu Junxing took the blame for his troublesome daughter. Zhao Jingtang put down her bowl and lowered her head in silence. The eldest sister, seemingly used to it, laughed and piled up the scattered bowls on the table, then put them into a large red bucket and shook it.

She scooped it out, drained the water, and then quickly and neatly placed it on the table: "Hey~, right here. You city lads just aren't very good at working. You should have just told me to call your auntie."

"Hey, if this gets dirty, just rinse it in the bucket. But keep an eye on the kids, because if this bowl breaks, you'll have to pay for it. These are all public spaces."

“We have to wait until the meal starts to provide chopsticks. Otherwise, before all the dishes are served, you’ll be full and come back saying there’s nothing interesting here. We’d be at a huge loss!”

Zhao Jingtang rarely heard such clear and undisguised words. Even though he had become quite adept at polite conversation with company clients over the past six months, he could only repeatedly agree now.

The old man said, "Don't pay them any mind. They're just used to a good life and have a lot of quirks. Back when we were sent to the countryside, we were lucky if we could even get some rotten vegetable leaves to eat!"

Upon hearing the old man's words, the eldest sister also spoke to him warmly and seriously for a few moments, telling them to contact her if they needed anything.

An'an and a little girl with two braids held hands, letting themselves go freely and unrestrainedly, accompanied by music and the evening breeze, consciously blocking out the sounds of men calling her names.

In the end, Qin Yanzhou saw that his uncle was about to make a move, so he ran over and pulled her back.

"Daddy~, did she dance well? Did she blind you?"

"Yes, he's blind!"

The man took a bowl and added some chicken and vegetables suitable for her to eat. Because he didn't know how to cook their local food, he didn't dare give it to the child without careful consideration, fearing an allergic reaction and the possibility of complications, especially since there were no familiar hospitals nearby.

Since there wasn't a suitable high chair, and we were worried she might be tempted by the food on the table, we let her squat down and eat with her bowl at our feet. An'an didn't seem to mind having food.

Even the people at the next table were giving him strange looks. Lu Jing, feeling sorry for his granddaughter and mindful of the occasion, only muttered a few curses under his breath. In the end, seeing the child enjoying her meal, he didn't say anything more.

"Daddy~, I want some soup~"

The man took the bowl and chopsticks from her after she finished eating. Having soup after the meal had become a habit she'd gradually developed, replacing her milk. Seeing the dishes still being served one by one, he guessed the soup would probably be the last.

"Wait a minute~, the soup hasn't been served yet, let's go back and you'll have your milk!"

"Oh dear, soup? No need to wait. The soup is ready, but the kitchen is short-staffed, so it's the last to be served. You'll have to wait."

"Come on! Take your bowl and come with me, I'll go to the kitchen and get you some."