"Why don't you just stay in the shade? Why climb so high?"
Liu Nanfeng walked up to Feng Hongjin, asking speechlessly.
"Because I haven't seen you in a long time, and I was worried," the little koi said earnestly, tilting her small face up.
Seeing her clear eyes and aggrieved expression, Liu Nanfeng couldn't bring himself to speak harshly.
"You came too early. Next time, come a little later, or wait for me in the water."
"But I was afraid you wouldn't see me."
"Don't worry, no matter where you hide, I can find you," Liu Nanfeng said, smiling and patting her head.
Just then, Feng Hongjin suddenly frowned, looking puzzled. She then took Liu Nanfeng's hand, sniffed it, and sniffed him again as if she were a little puppy.
"What are you doing?" Liu Nanfeng asked, amused.
"You smell like mother," Feng Hongjin said innocently.
"Uh..." That was not something to say.
Liu Nanfeng sniffed himself. Besides some sweat, he didn't smell any fishiness. He assumed it was the little koi's imagination and didn't press further.
Instead, he pointed to an object tied to her waist and asked, "Is this the weapon you were talking about?"
When it came to weapons, the little koi got excited.
She proudly drew the weapon from her waist and held it high above her head, saying, "Look at my Guagua Hammer."
"Uh..." m..oΓg
Liu Nanfeng didn't know what to say. It turned out the weapon she spoke of was actually a pumpkin hammer, or a garlic hammer, gilded all over and exquisitely made.
The handle was as long as a baby's arm, and the hammerhead was as big as a baby's fist. It looked delicate and small, more like a toy than a weapon. It would probably be good for back massages.
"Is this really your weapon?" Liu Nanfeng asked for confirmation.
"Of course, but it's very powerful!"
The little koi swung the small hammer, making "Heh ha!" sounds, acting like she was very powerful and warning others not to provoke her.
Liu Nanfeng was amused by her. "Alright then, put your weapon away for now and come home with me."
"Okay."
The little koi immediately tucked her Guagua Hammer onto her belt, then took Liu Nanfeng's hand and strode proudly towards the shore.
Liu Nanfeng looked back at the river. A splash of water appeared out of nowhere on the surface. Liu Nanfeng waved at it before going ashore with the little koi.
"Is the big bad cat still at home today?"
"Of course, it's our pet, so it's at home."
"Then can you not keep it and keep me instead?" the little koi asked innocently, tilting her small face up.
"You're not a pet."
"Little koi can be pets. I saw little koi in that place with lots of pets the other day."
The little koi glanced at him sideways, as if to say, I'm small, but I'm not stupid.
"Okay, I'll tell you next time I want to get a pet. For now, you're my good friend."
"Yes, good friend, ooo ooo ooo..."
The little koi became happy again upon hearing this. The little creature was too innocent. No wonder her mother didn't let her interact with humans; she could easily be tricked away.
Happily forgetting herself, the little creature let go of Liu Nanfeng's hand and ran a short distance ahead, then remembered and ran back to hold his hand again.
Then she started asking more strange questions.
"What if the big bad cat bullies me?"
"Don't you have your weapon? Hit it."
"Ooo ooo ooo... Oh right, I almost forgot."
"But hit it lightly, or I'll have no pet if you kill it."
"Then keep me."
"Uh... it's best not to kill it, or your Sister Su will be sad. Just scare it so it's afraid of you."
"Okay, then I'll hit it lightly."
The little koi said this, drew her Guagua Hammer from her waist, and struck the air, as if practicing how much force would be appropriate.
Liu Nanfeng could only pray for Mo Yu in his heart.
"Hey, Sister, look, Brother-in-law is holding a little girl, looking at her so dotingly. Could she be his illegitimate daughter?"
Su Huamei, who was helping out at the coffee shop, excitedly tugged at Su Jinxiu's sleeve.
Su Jinxiu looked up and saw Liu Nanfeng approaching with Feng Hongjin through the shop window from a distance.
"What nonsense are you talking about? She's your brother-in-law's friend," Su Jinxiu said, lightly tapping Su Huamei's head.
Xu Xinyi, standing nearby, whispered to Hong Xiumin, "The proprietress plays a lot, calling the boss 'husband'."
Su Jinxiu heard this and her cheeks flushed. She was used to calling him husband at home and forgot to change her address for a moment.
"It's all your fault," Su Jinxiu glared at Su Huamei.
Su Huamei felt a bit inexplicable, thinking she was being wrongly accused.
Actually, she wasn't wrong at all. Su Jinxiu had always called Liu Nanfeng "husband."
It was just that Su Huamei had always said "husband this," "husband that," which led Su Jinxiu to also call him husband.
At this moment, Liu Nanfeng pulled the little koi and pushed open the coffee shop door.
The bell on the doorframe immediately jingled, catching the little koi's attention and making her look up curiously.
Liu Nanfeng hadn't ridden his electric bike back because he wanted to walk and chat with the little koi. As for the electric bike parked by the roadside, there was no need to worry; he could ride it back when he took the little koi home in the evening.
"Brother-in-law, when did you find such a young..." Su Huamei asked curiously.
Before she finished speaking, she realized that this little girl, like her, was not human.
And she also recognized the little koi.
So she leaned into Su Jinxiu's ear and whispered, "Sister, isn't this..."
Su Jinxiu ignored her. Instead, she walked out from behind the counter, opened her arms to the little koi, and said, "Hongjin, have you missed your sister?"
"Yes, and I brought you a gift," Feng Hongjin said, hugging Su Jinxiu, her voice full of impatience.
"Oh really? What gift, let me see."
Su Jinxiu bent down and pulled her towards a nearby empty seat.
Su Huamei, watching from behind the counter, looked thoughtful.
After sitting down, the little koi placed the Guagua Hammer she was holding on the table. The table creaked as if unable to bear the weight, surprising Liu Nanfeng and Su Jinxiu.
But the little creature was oblivious. She was opening the small bag she wore on her wrist and pulling out the gift she had brought.
Then she pulled out a crab tied with water grass and placed it on the table.
"This is Ah Da, he's very interesting."
Liu Nanfeng and Su Jinxiu fell silent. They never expected the little koi to give a crab as a gift.
Seeing their silence, the excited little koi's face fell with disappointment.
"You don't like it?"
"No, I like it. I'm just a little surprised, a little unexpected," Su Jinxiu said, picking up the crab.
The little creature relaxed upon hearing this, and her face lit up with happiness.
"What about mine? Don't I have a gift?" Liu Nanfeng asked impatiently from the side.
"(⊙o⊙)..."
The little koi stretched out her small hand and quietly took back the Guagua Hammer from the table.
This is mine.