Chapter 21 "What are you all doing?"

"But you must remember to consult with An'an in the future, Brother."

Lu Huaiche nodded repeatedly, promising, "Brother swears that from now on, I will definitely talk to An'an before doing anything. If An'an doesn't agree, Brother won't do it, and I will only do what An'an approves of."

An'an pursed her lips and smiled. "Hehe, Brother knows how to correct his mistakes; Brother is still a good boy."

Lu Huaiche patted her head and leaned in to nuzzle his forehead against hers. "Thank you, An'an."

Lu Huaiche had taken advantage of his father being at work and his great-grandfather still sleeping to successfully "steal" An'an away today. He had originally intended to show her off, but because of his own carelessness, he had ended up frightening her, and in the end, it was An'an who had to comfort him. No matter how he looked at it, he felt he was an incompetent brother.

Moreover, Lu Huaiche had planned to take An'an to an amusement park today. Once their studies officially got on track, the time they had to go out would be greatly shortened. Plus, he had to intern at the company during his spare time outside of school, leaving him with even less time. That was why he wanted to make the most of this opportunity to have a good day out with An'an.

Lu Huaiche asked, "An'an, do you want to go play with those brothers of mine?" He thought for a moment and added, "If you like them, we'll play together; if not, we won't."

An'an shook her head. "I want to play! An'an likes it when it's lively."

Lu Huaiche carried An'an out to greet them. When An'an said, "Hello, brothers," the older boys—who had never seen such an obedient little child—found their lips curling into smiles.

To be honest, they were all children pampered and spoiled at home, and their personalities were as arrogant as they come. Especially among the younger ones in their families, even if they didn't see each other often, they all knew that none of the others were easy to deal with, given their own past experiences. Thus, a child like An'an was truly a first for them.

On top of that, An'an was incredibly cute, soft and doughy like a rice cake. When she was happy, her big eyes would crinkle into slits; when she was shy, she would bury her face in Lu Huaiche's arms, whispering, "Don't look at An'an." Who could resist that?

By the end of the day, Lu Huaiche's brothers had genuinely grown to love spending time with An'an from the bottom of their hearts. It was hard not to love someone with such vibrant vitality and infectious joy.

When it was time to leave, Lu Huaiche even had a dark expression on his face—because that group of people wanted to snatch his sister away! That really annoyed him.

However, once they got home, it wasn't he who was upset, but Grandfather Lu and Lu Jinqiao. Even though Lu Huaiche had sent them a message after running off, they were still very angry that he had taken An'an out without telling them first!

With so many people outside, what if something happened, or An'an got lost or fell? He was almost an adult and still so reckless. Grandfather Lu declared that he would definitely "teach" Lu Huaiche a lesson!

Lu Jinqiao didn't mention punishing Lu Huaiche—after all, one bad guy was enough. He simply handed Lu Huaiche several more documents afterward, all of which were just difficult enough to make him scratch his head but still solvable.

Because Grandfather Lu had ordered Lu Huaiche to write a reflection paper, An'an felt a bit down. She didn't plead for him, but she looked at Grandfather Lu with watery, pitiful eyes.

"Great-grandfather, I will accompany Brother... It's An'an's fault, An'an didn't tell Great-grandfather."

When Grandfather Lu saw An'an like this, he couldn't care less about Lu Huaiche. He dismissed him with a wave of his hand and carried his dear An'an out for a walk to help digest their meal.

Mianmian followed along. Mianmian had been very excited since they came out and kept barking incessantly. An'an soon forgot about what had just happened and ran around the courtyard with Mianmian. The yard was lit up, so there was no need to worry about An'an not seeing the path.

Grandfather Lu leaned on his cane, walking slowly behind the two little ones, watching them play with a smile.

An'an followed Mianmian as she ran to the base of a tree. Mianmian gave an excited bark at An'an and began to dig at the ground with her paws.

An'an said, "Mianmian, no, you can't do that."

Mianmian ignored her, digging away at the dirt and inviting An'an to join in. An'an sighed helplessly, like a little adult, and squatted on the ground with her hands cupping her chin, looking like a "stern father" watching a mischievous child play.

"Huh?" An'an gasped in surprise.

Mianmian stopped digging and barked excitedly at An'an. If one had to translate it, it would probably be: "See? See? What did I tell you? I told you there was something here! Hmph, you didn't believe Princess Mianmian, but now you're shocked, aren't you?" Yes, Mianmian was a little princess—self-proclaimed.

An'an rewarded Mianmian with a pat on the head and turned to look at Grandfather Lu, who had been behind them the whole time. "Great-grandfather, come here quickly!"

Grandfather Lu smiled. "Coming, coming." He hadn't interfered when he saw the two little ones digging; he had just stood there watching them.

When he was called, he took a few steps and squatted down. "What's the matter?"

An'an said, "Mianmian says she dug up a treasure!"

Grandfather Lu raised an eyebrow, his tone playful. "Really? Let Great-grandfather see."

He looked over and saw what appeared to be a small wooden box buried in the dirt. Grandfather Lu reached out and pulled it out. He examined it carefully, but couldn't recall anything about it, though it did look familiar.

He glanced at the girl and the dog, both looking at the box in his hands with eager anticipation. He smiled and handed the box to An'an. "Since Mianmian found it, it's likely meant for you, An'an. You keep it."

Mianmian gave an echoing "woof," looking at An'an with eager eyes, her tail wagging incessantly.

An'an was moved and nuzzled her head against Mianmian's. "Thank you, Mianmian."

An'an used her small hands to pry at the box, and after touching a certain spot, it clicked open. Inside was something that looked like a dried-up, shriveled tree root.

An'an handed it to Grandfather Lu. "Great-grandfather, what is this?"

Grandfather Lu took it and stared at it for a moment. He was at a loss for words.

"This..."

"Great-grandfather doesn't know what this is either. It looks just like an ordinary tree root, but who would use a fine sandalwood box to store a piece of root?"

"How about we go back and ask your father?"

Just then, Lu Jinqiao, having finished his shower, came downstairs. Seeing them standing in the foyer with the "root" in the old man's hand, he asked, "What are you all doing?"