Chapter 49: Amusement Park and the Little Money Fiend

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Amusement Park and the Little Money Fiend

Nan Zhi wanted to give Nan Yi a surprise.

So, she didn’t reveal a single word before the bus reached their destination.

Nan Yi naturally assumed they were going to buy things for their stall.

—Nan Zhi had only mentioned it yesterday, but he remembered it clearly.

Nan Yi said, "I saw the other fried rice stalls, and they all have two woks! We can buy another one too!"

His little mind started racing, ambitiously planning how to make their family’s fried rice stall bigger and better!

And surprisingly, while some of his suggestions were too childish or far-fetched, others were actually feasible.

The problem was...

’Yiyi, oh Yiyi, have you forgotten we’re not actually running a fried rice stall for a living, but recording a variety show?’

Nan Zhi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but she still listened patiently as he spoke.

The amusement park was in a remote location, so the bus ride was a bit long.

After a few stops, the bus became packed with people.

When Nan Zhi saw a frail old woman walking over, she gave Nan Yi a little tug.

"Come sit on Mommy’s lap."

"Okay."

Nan Yi obediently stood up and gave her the seat.

At first, Nan Yi didn’t think much of it, but soon he started to feel uncomfortable.

Nan Yi asked, "Am I heavy?"

Nan Zhi replied, "Not at all. You’re too skinny."

"Am I squishing you?"

"Of course not."

"I think I forgot to wash my hair last night."

"No, you didn’t. It smells nice."

As she spoke, Nan Zhi even leaned in and deliberately took a sniff.

Nan Yi shyly raised his hands to cover his head, his small body leaning back.

’Do... do I really smell good?’

’But all those kids used to call me a little beggar and say my head stank.’

’Mommy would never lie to me, so...’

’Those other kids were the ones lying!’

’I knew it!’

Nan Yi broke into a grin and cautiously snuggled closer to Nan Zhi.

Nestled in his mother’s faintly fragrant embrace, Nan Yi was so content he couldn’t help but squint his eyes in delight!

The old woman in the next seat saw this and couldn’t stop smiling.

"Your child is so well-behaved!"

Nan Zhi replied naturally, not forgetting to praise herself a little.

"He is! He’s very sensible and often helps me with things!"

The old woman beamed.

"Looks like he’ll be a filial son when he grows up!"

Nan Zhi nodded with a serious expression.

"Yes, I think so too."

Nan Yi deliberately kept a straight face, trying not to grin like a fool.

But that didn’t stop his heart from feeling as sweet as if he’d eaten honey.

’I’m not that great!’

’At most... at most I’m just okay!’

—Nan Yi was completely unaware of the earth-shattering change his mindset had undergone.

After the nearly 40-minute bus ride, Nan Yi’s own legs were sore from sitting.

He wasn’t worried about himself; he was more worried about Nan Zhi.

The moment they reached their destination, he anxiously fussed around Nan Zhi.

He asked if she was tired and even wanted to massage her legs.

He was completely oblivious to where they had arrived.

Nan Zhi took his small hand.

"Yiyi, look."

Nan Yi glanced back.

What met his eyes was a colorful, fairytale-like castle. It was like a building from another dimension that had suddenly burst into his small, barren, and desolate world.

Nan Yi immediately matched it to a word from his memory and murmured aloud:

"Amuse... amusement park!"

He had never been to one before, only heard other kids talk about it.

In their stories, the amusement park was the happiest place in the world!

Just listening to them made Nan Yi’s mouth water with envy!

It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried asking that woman before.

That woman had readily agreed, saying she would take him on a weekend.

Overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, he was so excited that he started preparing snacks and drinks days in advance. He even went to humbly ask the other kids for advice, creating a complete game plan!

But when the day came, the woman didn’t take him to the amusement park. Instead, she led him to a small park and made him wear a thick down jacket in the middle of summer to pose as a child model for some company’s photographer.

He changed into more than ten outfits and was so tired he was drenched in sweat. That night, he went home and came down with a high fever...

That day was also his birthday.

He had originally thought the amusement park was his birthday present from that woman, but in the end, he was bitterly disappointed.

The agony of his hopes being crushed was too much to bear. Unwilling to taste it again, he never dared to dream of it since.

He never expected that today, Mommy would bring him to an amusement park!

Nan Yi was so happy it felt like he was dreaming!

Nan Zhi quickly bought the tickets.

It was an off-peak day. A full-price adult ticket was 299 yuan, and children under 1.2 meters tall were free.

Nan Yi was smaller and skinnier than other kids his age, so he didn’t meet the height requirement and got in for free.

But Nan Yi still winced in pain over the cost.

"So expensive!"

For the past few days, they had been staying in the shantytown, where people had little money and the cost of living was low.

Even before that, the only money Nan Yi ever got his hands on was loose change, just a few or maybe ten-odd yuan.

So, to his ears, the 299 yuan price tag was simply astronomical!

Seeing the pained look on his face, Nan Zhi seriously suspected—

If she hadn’t told him the price after she’d already bought the ticket, Nan Yi probably would have dragged her away and made her leave!

Nan Zhi was both amused and heartbroken.

"It’s only the price of ten orders of fried rice!"

Nan Yi, of course, knew his math and nodded emphatically.

"Exactly! That’s ten whole orders of fried rice!"

Nan Zhi couldn’t resist pinching his cheek.

"You little miser."

Nan Yi scrunched up his nose. He didn’t feel opposed to it; in fact, he rather liked this kind of unspoken, affectionate gesture.

The mother and son held hands and happily stepped into the amusement park.

Nan Yi was small, so there were many rides he couldn’t go on.

So he would walk Nan Zhi to the gate and instruct her like a little adult:

"Go on and have fun, Mommy."

Nan Zhi asked, "What about you?"

"I’ll watch you."

As he said this, Nan Yi even had Nan Zhi hand him her coat and water bottle, as diligent as a little butler.

There were quite a few people waiting in line nearby, many of them adults with their children, who watched with envy.

"That kid is so good, is he here to repay a debt from a past life?"

"Wow, he even knows how to take care of his mom. What a little gentleman!"

"Hey, why do they look so familiar?"

"Isn’t that... the one who abused her kid!"

"What are you talking about? The police already issued a statement clarifying everything!"

"Yeah, and their dynamic doesn’t look fake at all. You really can’t trust the news these days!"

...

Feeling the goodwill from the crowd, Nan Zhi’s anxious heart finally settled a bit.

She said, "Let’s go somewhere else."

Nan Yi was confused. "You don’t like this one?"

He looked up at the drop tower that soared into the clouds, thinking, ’Mommy actually doesn’t like something this fun? What a shame.’

Nan Zhi’s mouth twitched. ’Thanks, but no thanks. I’m afraid of heights.’

"Yeah, Mommy doesn’t like this one."

She quickly pulled Nan Yi along and slipped into a small shop nearby.

Inside, they sold all sorts of amusement park merchandise, like plush dolls, headbands, and so on.

Nan Zhi first picked out a headband with cat ears and, while Nan Yi was distracted, quickly placed it on his head.

Nan Yi turned around, looking dazed.

"Hm?"

His eyes widened slightly. With their upturned corners and jet-black pupils, they really did resemble a cat’s eyes.

Paired with the soft, black cat ears, he was just unbelievably cute!