Chapter 115: This Hand Is a Bit of an Eyesore

Chapter 115: Chapter 115: This Hand Is a Bit of an Eyesore

Time passed, and soon it was Sunday—the day Xu An had promised to take Xu Kang and Xu Le to the amusement park.

The first hint of light had just appeared on the horizon, but the world was still shrouded in darkness.

COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO— COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO—

The crowing of a rooster from afar woke the two little rascals, who had been looking forward to their trip to the amusement park all night.

The two of them fought against a powerful wave of sleepiness, groggily sitting up in bed. One hand rubbed their eyes while the other pushed and shoved Xu An.

"Big Brother, wake up! Big Brother, wake up! Big Brother..."

Roused by the commotion, Xu An sleepily fumbled around the bedside for a moment. His hand found a cool, hard object. He picked it up and saw that it was only five in the morning!

"The amusement park isn’t open yet. Let’s sleep a little longer. We need to be well-rested to have enough energy to play hard, eat good food, and have fun..."

As he spoke, Xu An stretched out his arm, pulling the two kids into his embrace. He then extended his long leg, pinning their little legs down securely, and fell back asleep.

The two little ones had only forced themselves awake at the rooster’s crow anyway. After a few failed attempts to push away Xu An’s arm, they too drifted back to dreamland.

They slept straight through until eight in the morning, completely oblivious to Heping coming over to pick up Granny Xu for the shop. They woke up feeling refreshed and full of energy.

’This is the first time I’ve slept in this late since starting the bento box business. I really miss this!’

After washing up, he changed the two kids into the new clothes Lin Xu Yang had given them.

He dressed Xu Le in a white bubble skirt with green polka dots, which came with a matching small, heart-shaped green crossbody bag. Paired with green knee-high socks and white sneakers, she looked absolutely adorable and cute as a button.

Xu Kang wore a white T-shirt with a blue teddy bear printed on it and a pair of blue, wide-leg athletic shorts. With his white sneakers, he looked dashing, exuding the vibe of a hip-hop kid from a later era.

Xu An himself was dressed simply in a white T-shirt, khaki loose-fitting shorts, and the same style of white sneakers. With his buzz cut and tan skin, he had the look of an athletic guy.

As soon as their clothes were changed, the two kids couldn’t wait to hurry Xu An out the door.

He double-checked that he had the tickets, IDs, keys, and wallet, then left with Xu Kang in his left hand and Xu Le in his right.

Just on the short walk from their village to the bus stop, no fewer than ten people asked them where they were going, all dressed up so splendidly.

Before Xu An could reply, the two little ones would jump in and announce that they were going to the amusement park!

Their voices grew louder with each reply, their tone and inflection practically bursting with smug delight.

It was half-past eight. The bus ride would take an hour, so they would arrive at exactly nine-thirty, just when the amusement park opened.

After boarding the bus, the two squeezed into a window seat and chattered nonstop about the scenery flashing by outside, utterly delighted.

They were so excited that Xu An had to half-coax and half-threaten them just to get them to finish their breakfast.

The day’s outing had only just begun, and Xu An was already feeling exhausted.

Happy Park was built in 2006, six years ago now. As it was the only large-scale amusement park in Hai City, it attracted many visitors. The facilities were well-maintained, showing no signs of disrepair.

Being a Sunday, the park was crowded. The moment they got off the bus, Xu An saw the sea of people at the entrance and instinctively tightened his grip on the children’s hands, afraid they would get excited and run off.

The rides inside the park were quite interesting. Next to the big roller coaster, there was a small one for children; beside the giant pendulum ride, there was a mini version; next to the large pirate ship...

This setup was naturally because most of the visitors were families.

The lines for the small rides were mostly made up of parents with their children, while the queues for the larger attractions were filled with young people.

The moment they saw the roller coaster, the two little ones’ eyes shone brighter than the sun. They spun around, hugged Xu An’s legs, and started shaking them, shouting that they wanted to ride it.

What else could he do? He had to give in to them.

Although Xu An and the kids had VIP passes, they still had to wait in line. However, the VIP queue was much shorter than the regular one, with only about a ten-minute wait for each ride.

Seeing all the parents around them taking pictures of their kids with cameras, Xu An finally realized he was missing one himself.

’This is their first time at an amusement park. It would be a shame not to take some photos.’

But it was too late for regrets now. Xu An could only take out the 299-yuan off-brand phone he had bought and start taking pictures of the two of them.

’Actually, they’re... not bad...’

’Forget it.’ With a resolution of only two or three megapixels, Xu An couldn’t bring himself to say they were "not bad." It was better than nothing, he supposed.

Just then, someone tapped Xu An on the shoulder and said in a soft, gentle voice, "Hi, I can take your picture for you!"

Xu An turned to see a young woman in a red plaid bubble skirt. She was about 1.7 meters tall, with her hair in two cute little buns from which a few thin braids dangled. Her skin was fair, her features lovely, and when she smiled, two adorable dimples were clearly visible. In her slender, pale fingers, she held a camera, which she waved gently at Xu An.

’Are photographers looking for work inside amusement parks now? The tickets cost seventy or eighty yuan. They’re really willing to spend money to find clients.’

"How much for the whole day?"

The young woman’s eyes widened slightly, but she quickly recovered. With a playful glint in her eyes, she replied cheekily, "One hundred and fifty. But there’s another family that’ll be with you. Is that okay?"

One hundred and fifty wasn’t a small amount, but for the current Xu An, it wasn’t much either. It was worth it to preserve some wonderful memories.

Still, every penny counts. So, Xu An first handed her fifty yuan. "Let’s add each other as contacts. When the photos are ready, I’ll pay you the rest."

As they were exchanging contact information, Xu An thought he heard the young woman beside him mutter almost inaudibly, something like, ’A little too cautious, aren’t we?’

But when he looked up, he saw her smiling faintly as before, with no sign of anything unusual.

’Maybe I misheard.’

"What’s your name?" Xu An asked after opening QQ to add her as a contact.

"My surname is Lin. You can just call me Miss Lin. What’s your name?"

"Xu An. An, as in ’peace’."

"Okay."

After exchanging contact info, Miss Lin put her phone away and started taking photos of Xu Kang and Xu Le.

He had to admit, Miss Lin was a natural. With just a few words, she had the two little ones grinning from ear to ear, and they were incredibly cooperative.

A sliver of suspicion, however, rose in Xu An’s mind. ’What if this is the first step of a human trafficking ring?’

’They send out a sweet, harmless-looking girl to gain the parents’ trust. Then, under the guise of directing the photoshoot, she earns the children’s confidence, making them think she’s a kind big sister. And finally, she abducts the kids.’

At this thought, Xu An’s gaze toward Miss Lin grew cautious. He kept his eyes glued to the three of them, and except for when she was taking pictures, he stayed within a meter of them at all times.

This continued until the other family arrived: a short-haired girl who looked about the same age as Miss Lin, holding the hand of a little boy about the same age as Xu Kang and Xu Le. Only then did Xu An relax a little.

’No matter how sophisticated a trafficking ring is, they can’t possibly control a four- or five-year-old child and make him follow their plan perfectly.’

The short-haired girl seemed very surprised to see Xu An. She was about to say something but was pulled aside by Miss Lin. The two of them whispered back and forth for a moment before returning.

Xu An sized them both up. After determining that he could take the two of them in a fight, he relaxed again and refocused his attention entirely on Xu Kang and Xu Le.

The little boy the short-haired girl brought was very outgoing, and as it happened, Xu Kang and Xu Le were social butterflies themselves. Within moments, the three had become good friends and were walking ahead, hand in hand.

However, the sight of the little boy holding Xu Le’s hand was a bit of an eyesore for Xu An. He subtly rearranged the trio, having the boy hold Xu Kang’s hand instead. Only then did he nod in satisfaction.

’Much better. Perfect!’

Just then, he thought he heard Miss Lin click her tongue in annoyance, but when he looked over, she was still smiling brightly, showing no sign of anything amiss.

’Am I hearing things again?’

For lunch, they ate at one of the park’s restaurants. The food there was all shaped into adorable designs, which the children absolutely loved.

They happily gobbled down one bear-shaped rice ball after another, followed by octopus-shaped sausages. You couldn’t imagine how happy they were.

On their way out of the park, they had to pass through a large gift shop. The short-haired girl’s little boy remained relatively calm, but Xu Kang and Xu Le were completely mesmerized by the dazzling array of merchandise, practically drooling.

They so rarely got to come here. What else could he do but indulge them?

After his wallet suffered a major hemorrhage, Xu Kang and Xu Le emerged clutching cute stuffed animals, while Xu An carried several shopping bags. They had finally escaped the money pit.

Xu An said goodbye to Miss Lin, and Xu Kang and Xu Le said their goodbyes to their new friend. Then, the three of them headed to the bus stop and began their journey home.

After Xu An was a good distance away, the short-haired girl tugged on Miss Lin’s arm. "Lin Xinyue, what was that all about today? How did you end up playing photographer for someone?"

She added, glancing at Xu An’s retreating figure, "He’s pretty tall, just a bit thin. Not bad-looking either, seems like a cheerful guy. You’ve got a crush on him, don’t you? That’s some high-level way to hit on someone."

Lin Xinyue, who was looking through the photos on her camera, couldn’t help but roll her eyes at her friend. "Chengcheng, I think you’ve been reading too many romance novels. You turn everything into a love story. Can’t a guy and a girl just be friends?"

"Do you remember what I told you about what happened at the driving school?" Lin Xinyue reminded her. "The time I was driving poorly and almost hit someone? That guy just now was the one I nearly hit. He never asked me for any compensation afterward."

She said this while turning off her camera and putting it back in her bag.

"I ran into him when you guys went to the bathroom. He was taking pictures of the two kids with his phone, and the pixel quality was terrible, so I just wanted to help them preserve some nice memories." Then she pulled out the fifty yuan Xu An had given her and grinned like a sly fox. "And I didn’t get taken advantage of, you know. This is a fifty-yuan deposit. Once I send him the photos, there’s still another hundred yuan final payment!"

"You’re something else. Making extra money while you’re out having fun."

"Hehe! Of course! You should know who you’re talking to!"