Bai Luochuan stopped, holding the little wooden hand in his arms. He turned his head and looked at him and asked, "What's going on?"
The child ran out of breath and said, "Just now, someone came over and said a few words to Mi Yang, and then Mi Yang took her hand and left!"
Bai Luochuan was anxious and asked, "Where did you go?"
The child pointed to the rockery behind and said, "Over there, to the pavilion!"
There was a pavilion near the back of their compound, which was quite remote. Usually, adults would not let children run around, and would make up a few words saying that there was a child thief over there, and they were not allowed to go over there. When Bai Luochuan heard that Mi Yang had gone over there with others, he stopped fighting and waved his hand to take people to find the adjutant. Bai Luochuan was quite thoughtful, and after running a few steps, he called the child who had just come to report the news and said, "Run back and tell the adults at home... No, if you see the guard at the door, tell him that Mi Yang is missing!"
The child was smart. He agreed and ran towards the guard at the gate.
The "enemy" hiding behind the mound on the opposite side waited for a long time. When they saw Commander Bai and his men rushing back, they were also confused. A child with a crooked hat asked, "Commander, are we still guarding?"
The enemy leader was only five years old. He thought for a moment, waved his hand and said, "No, we charge and take back the territory!"
Then seven or eight little guys jumped out from behind the mound, playing like mud monkeys. Wearing straw hats made of branches and holding wooden spears in their arms, they started shouting and chasing Bai Luochuan and the others. Bai Luochuan was accompanied by a group of them and another group was chasing him from behind. They rushed to the pavilion on the back mountain with great momentum, and they all looked like they were bloodthirsty.
At this moment, Mi Yang was sitting in the pavilion, washing his hands obediently with the small kettle brought by the old man. After washing, the old lady opposite smiled and gave him a piece of dessert for him to eat, saying: "Eat it, eat more if you like it."
Mi Yang smiled happily at her, biting the trough cake in his hand and eating it sweetly. Before he finished half of it, he saw a group of little rascals rushing over, shouting and killing. He choked, and the old lady next to him was so scared that she quickly gave him water: "Yangyang, are you okay? Drink some water quickly."
Mi Yang took the old lady's kettle and drank two mouthfuls. Bai Luochuan had already rushed into the pavilion first. Seeing him drinking a stranger's water, he stepped forward and slapped the kettle to the ground. He pulled Mi Yang to stand behind him. Mi Yang was pulled by him and the trough cake in his hand fell to the ground. "Hey, my cake..."
Bai Luochuan pulled him, not allowing him to pick it up, and looked at the old lady in front of him with a vigilant look.
The old lady was sitting there smiling and looking at them with kindness in her eyes. She was holding a small kettle that she had picked up and a large black leather shoulder bag next to her. She looked like she was visiting relatives.
Bai Luochuan asked: "Who are you?"
Mi Yang patted him lightly from behind and said, "This is my grandma."
Bai Luochuan stiffened his neck and said, "I haven't seen her, who told you to go with her?"
Mi Yang pried his hands apart and said, "This is my grandma, you must have never seen her." He walked over, picked up the half cake that had fallen on the ground, and patted it twice, but the trough cake had just been stepped on and was no longer edible.
Old Mrs. Cheng said quickly, "Yangyang, we don't want that anymore. Grandma brought a lot here. You can take another piece to eat."
Mi Yang agreed and stood there looking up at Bai Luochuan.
Bai Luochuan's face was still red from the intense running, and his hair on his forehead was wet with sweat. He stood there for a while, then bowed his head and said, "I'm sorry."
The little kids outside the pavilion all looked up in unison, very quietly, no one dared to say a word at this time.
Mi Yang went over and took the small kettle from Old Lady Cheng, shook it and said, "There's still enough water, everyone line up, come and wash your hands and eat cakes!"
These words were more effective than Commander Bai's charge. Immediately, regardless of friend or foe, they lined up in a long queue. More than a dozen children were waiting excitedly to sit in a row and share the fruit.
Bai Luochuan was the first to wash his hands. Mi Yang held up the kettle to rinse his hands, then wiped his hands with a tissue, gave him a piece of trough cake, and said, "Here, this is yours."
Bai Luochuan took it and immediately broke it into two halves, then gave half of the cake to Mi Yang.
Old Mrs. Cheng saw this and said with a smile, "Yangyang, go eat too. Grandma will wash the children's hands."
Mi Yang took the half cake and sat down with Bai Luochuan to eat it together. Caozi cake was not a very delicious snack, but it was a must-have for visiting relatives and friends in that era. Mi Yang ate it with relish. Bai Luochuan was tired after running all afternoon, so he ate it with a sweet mouthful. Mi Yang also took out a palm-sized piece of handmade peanut candy, which was made of freshly fried peanuts and brown sugar. Mi Yang used both hands to force it, and broke the candy with a "crack" sound, and shared it with Bai Luochuan.
While eating, Bai Luochuan whispered, "Why did you run off with someone else without saying anything?"
Mi Yang nibbled on the candy and said, "It's not someone else, it's my real grandma."
Bai Luochuan was still groaning, Mi Yang stuffed the candy in his hand into his mouth and said with a smile: "Eat it, this one has the most peanuts."
If it were someone else, Young Master Bai would have raised his eyebrows and was about to get angry, as no one dared to feed him like this. But when it came to Mi Yang, giving him half a piece of peanut candy was like getting a reward. Normally, Mi Yang didn't do these intimate actions, so the gesture seemed even more precious. Bai Luochuan's brows immediately relaxed and he ate the candy in big mouthfuls.
Mi Yang glanced at him carefully. The stone chairs around the pavilion were high, and Bai Luochuan's feet could not reach the ground when he was sitting. He ate the candy while swinging his feet, and it seemed that he was enjoying it.
Mi Yang laughed out loud, this was a small habit he had observed over the past few years, when Young Master Bai was happy he would cross his legs and swing, it was quite straightforward and cute.
When the adults in the family came over, they saw an old lady sitting in the center of the pavilion, surrounded by a circle of children, sharing candy and cakes together.
Cheng Qing was very surprised and said, "Mom, why are you here? Why didn't you send a telegram so that I could pick you up at the station?"
Old Mrs. Cheng smiled and said, "No need, I'm in good health and won't interfere with your work. I just miss Yangyang. Come and see my grandson."
Just then, the other children in the group had almost finished eating. When they saw Cheng Qing, they all called out "Auntie" and ran off to continue playing.
Bai Luochuan didn't leave. He tugged at Mi Yang's sleeve, wanting him to continue playing with him. In his opinion, even if his grandmother came, it was not as important as the "battle plan" they had agreed upon. He had already captured more than half of the "bunkers" and would be able to win soon.
Mi Yang pried open his fingers and said, "No, I have to go home."
Bai Luochuan frowned and was about to speak again, but Mi Yang patted his shoulder and said, "Tomorrow, I'll come to see you and we'll play all day."
After receiving this promise, Commander Bai reluctantly nodded and agreed: "Okay then."
Cheng Qing carried the luggage for Old Lady Cheng, while Mi Yang carried a small kettle in one hand and held the old lady's hand with the other. The family talked as they walked, and Mi Yang's laughing voice could be heard from far away.
"Of course I know her. As soon as she called me, I knew it was my grandma!"
"Oh, my baby Yangyang, you are really grandma's dear grandson!"