FID – Chapter 962

Chapter 962: This Kid Wants to Punch Him

Dafu’s new house was built right at the village entrance, on the old foundation. From the courtyard, with its not-too-high walls, any movement at the village entrance could be seen immediately.

So as soon as Grandpa Liu and his group entered the village, he noticed them and hurried to the door to greet them.

And it wasn’t just him with Liu Dalin and Liu Erlin, the King of Nanling was following right behind!

Aiyo, what rare guests!

“The two villages are separated by just a river. On New Year’s, we came to visit for some festive cheer, haha!” Grandpa Liu lifted Badou a little higher in his arms. “You saw Maodou last year. This is my Badou, and Erlin is holding Hongdou. Since you’ve come out to welcome us, we’ll enter your house first to pay our New Year respects.”

“These are Nannan’s two kids, right? We actually wanted to visit earlier, but the village chief didn’t allow us. He said in recent years, the Liu family courtyard has had many distinguished guests and didn’t want us to create trouble or make a scene.” Dafu ushered them inside. Although, he didn’t mention that the real reason was their rough, gang-like air made the village chief hesitant to let them step into the Liu courtyard.

Even though they had reformed, that lingering ‘hoodlum vibe’ couldn’t just vanish. No matter how serious their faces looked, they still resembled street ruffians.

Take Hua, for example—his sly, shifty appearance couldn’t be polished into dignity no matter how straight-faced he acted.

“I never expected Grandpa Liu to come visit in person. You’re bringing blessings to us! Just now, a group of village kids came by, but they’ve already left and haven’t even cleared the food yet. Please, eat freely!” Dafu ushered them inside, shouting toward the main hall to have the women quickly prepare lunch, intending to keep the guests for a meal.

Seeing the women of the house coming out, Grandpa Liu quickly waved his hands. “No, no, we just came to visit, to show the kids to everyone. We won’t eat, just give a few red envelopes. I’m rushing to the next house anyway.”

“We still have dozens of houses to visit in the village. We might not make it back in time for meals at home, so don’t dawdle. If there’s anything to talk about, we’ll do it at my place another day. For now, let’s just drink and chat!” Liu Erlin slapped Dafu on the shoulder with such force that Dafu had to grit his teeth.

After more than ten years, this guy still hadn’t forgotten the old grudge from back in the day.

“Can’t you be gentler? That hurts!”

“It’s New Year’s, what’s with the whining? Shut it! You still can’t hold your tongue at our age?” Liu Erlin scolded him with a laugh.

Over the years, the two villages had grown familiar with each other. Especially Xiapo Village—they no longer saw themselves as outsiders. When Nannan got married, they even considered themselves her family. On ordinary days, the Lius no longer treated them as strangers or spoke to them distantly.

Now, the words were direct, and hearing them felt far more comfortable than any formal politeness.

Dafu grinned and handed over the red envelopes.

Dafu’s wife approached as well. Looking at Grandpa Liu, Dalin, and Erlin carrying the three kids, she distributed red envelopes while praising, “In the blink of an eye, Elder Liu is already a great-grandfather. How fortunate! All three kids are so handsome, with lively eyes—you can tell they’re clever.”

“Hahaha! When little ones grow, they’re all pink and rosy, lovely. But my three kids are really clever and well-behaved,” Grandpa Liu chuckled, his face creased with laughter. “Look at Maodou. He’s only two, but he already knows how to take care of his younger siblings, even feeding them. And Badou and Hongdou, just eight months old, can already understand simple words. They truly took after their clever parents…”

The praise didn’t stop there.

Feng Qingbai stood quietly behind, a faint smile on his face. He deliberately toned down his presence, suppressing his full aura so as not to make anyone feel pressured, minimizing his own existence.

All to avoid making people feel awkward or uneasy.

It wasn’t until Grandpa Liu and the others left the courtyard, heading to the next house, that the Dafu couple suddenly realized: “Oh my goodness! The King was right there the whole time! We were so busy talking to Elder Liu that we didn’t even greet him!”

Dafu smacked his forehead hard, stomped his foot and then strode out. “I need to go tell the village chief. Later, he has to properly host them. I heard people in high positions are especially petty. If the King suddenly remembers being slighted and decides to hold a grudge, we’d be done for!”

After finally achieving this prosperous, vibrant life, they couldn’t return to the stagnant, miserable days of the past.

That King of Nanling was not a joke. Crushing their village would be like crushing an ant! Just thinking about it was terrifying.

With his two sons and the three kids, Grandpa Liu went house to house collecting red envelopes, praising their children along the way.

When they reached the An Cai house, they were surprised to find the old man already standing at the door waiting.”

“Which one of you gave him the heads-up this time?

As An Cai approached, he reached out to pinch the cheek of Badou in Grandpa Liu’s arms, but upon touching the child’s face, he switched to stroking gently. “This village is tiny. You’ve just entered from one end, and news travels to the other naturally. There was no need for special alerts. Come in.”

As he turned, he cast a long, deep glance at Badou.

Just now, he had seen it. When he reached out to pinch the child, the little one clenched his tiny fists as if wanting to punch him.

It wasn’t a hallucination.

No wonder Elder Liu praised the kids as clever and spirited. This one was practically possessed.

Fierce, just like his father.

As for the King of Nanling following behind, although Dafu had discreetly alerted him early on, An Cai didn’t make a special gesture of greeting him.

This man was extremely sensitive to presence and aura. Earlier, as the King quietly followed Elder Liu from a distance, not a trace of a high-ranking aura leaked from him; he looked just like an ordinary, inconspicuous person.

Even with such a striking face, he could easily be overlooked. He did this deliberately, clearly intending not to draw attention.

His respect and filial devotion toward the Liu elders ran far deeper than outsiders imagined.

Once they entered the courtyard, An Cai led them into the main hall, offered a few chairs by the fire, and casually brought over two small baskets from the corner of the room.

“If you hadn’t come today, I was planning to visit the Liu residence after the New Year anyway.”

Grandpa Liu was surprised. “Oh? Is something going on?”

This old rascal An Cai, as the saying goes, never visits the temple without a reason. This was something Village Chief Liu Jinfu often said.

Both men, being village leaders themselves, could read each other perfectly.

An Cai nodded, lifted the cloth covering the baskets, and revealed what was inside: grains that still had their husks. “This basket is rice grown in Xinghua Village. The other basket is from our Xiapo Village. I’ve been studying this for months. Both our villages use Qing River water, so why is it that the rice from your village is better, bigger, fuller, tastier?”

Grandpa Liu’s expression faltered for a moment. “Do you not know that Xinghua Village is blessed land? No matter what we plant there, it always turns out better than other places. Not just rice—vegetables, medicinal herbs, and fruits too. You can’t replicate this; it’s a gift from Heaven.”