Chapter 191 - 183: Cloud Fox
Tian Sisi enjoyed her stay at Yun Mansion but also felt a bit depressed. The delightful part was being able to play freely without any worries, except for avoiding touching the valuable plants in the storeroom and the back garden; she could play anywhere else.
He Xuewen would visit every day, and later he even brought along the Yang brothers. Originally, they came to play with Tian Xinhua and He Chengsi. The brothers had so much fun exploring Yun Mansion with He Chengsi that they completely forgot about home.
But no matter how much they enjoyed themselves, they would obediently ride their bikes home every day and never stayed overnight at Yun Mansion. Mr. Yun never asked them to stay either. Tian Sisi didn’t understand the subtleties of this arrangement and didn’t plan on delving into it. Politics was something she could never comprehend, even if she lived eight lives over.
Tian Xinhua had been acting strangely lately, muttering to himself and not playing with them. Every day, he would sneak into Mr. Yun’s study, and Tian Sisi didn’t know what he and the Cloud Fox - her new nickname for Mr. Yun - were scheming.
Speaking of this nickname, it was quite a tearful story behind it and also why Tian Sisi felt depressed at Yun Mansion. She felt that Mr. Yun deliberately made her stay to help with chores every day, as if she were doing hard labor.
In the back garden pond of Yun Mansion, there were many carp, and Tian Sisi, bored to death, decided to target these fish. She got He Xuewen to procure a fishing rod for her and spent half the day by the pond. She triumphantly caught two big carp and brought them to the kitchen, asking Niu Erniu to braise one and steam the other.
When it was time to eat the fish, Mr. Yun just smiled upon seeing them, praising Tian Sisi for her great skill, as he himself had never caught one. His praise made Tian Sisi feel over the moon; she almost flew up to the sky with joy. Then Mr. Yun asked which part of the fish she loved to eat the most.
Without hesitation, Tian Sisi answered, "The fish eyes." She thought Mr. Yun would feed them to her just like how Grandpa and Granny used to, and even posed in an exceedingly cute and adorable begging gesture. This gesture was a result of years of practice, guaranteed to melt anyone’s heart.
However, she overestimated her charm. Mr. Yun calmly took away four fish eyeballs and calmly ate them himself. Then he calmly remarked:
"Indeed, it tastes good. Looks like Ah Nan’s skills are commendable. Your Grandpa Yun and Grandpa Luo have never caught any themselves! From now on, Ah Nan should fish two everyday, each about a pound in size. Carp should be eaten at this size to taste the best."
Tian Sisi felt a mixture of embarrassment and indignation, though predominantly embarrassment. It was like a girl who always thought she was the crush of a handsome guy, waiting modestly for his confession, only to have him marry someone else. The bittersweet feeling could only be understood by experiencing it firsthand.
Annoyed as she was, Tian Sisi still obediently went fishing every day, two fish weighing around a pound each, strictly following Mr. Yun’s instructions. And every day, she offered up four eyeballs to Mr. Yun, who seemed to need an extra half bowl of rice at every meal because of it.
By Tian Sisi’s estimation, during her stay at Yun Mansion, the Cloud Fox must have gained at least Bajin (eight pounds). Even a double chin had appeared. Indeed, food that’s taken by force nourishes well!