Chapter 264: Chapter 243: First Impression

Wu Xiaowen didn’t just shirk her responsibilities and push everything onto Bai Junfan. Besides, she enjoyed shopping herself, so she immediately went out with him. They bought a good number of things for the girls—snacks and other necessities—which she then divided into two portions to take to Tang Yaxuan and Xiao Man.

With Wu Xiaowen taking the lead, Bai Junfan couldn’t say much about the choices, aside from rushing to pay for everything. After all, it was all things for girls; he couldn’t possibly act like he knew more about it than Wu Xiaowen.

However, as Bai Junfan watched Wu Xiaowen sort and pack the items for the two girls into two travel bags—one large, one small—he noticed she explicitly designated the larger, more complete bag for Tang Yaxuan. Mo Xiaoman’s bag was half the size. Bai Junfan once again sighed internally at how peculiar this Aunt Wu was. ’Most people favor their own flesh and blood, but Aunt Wu dotes on her adopted daughter more than her biological one!’

In truth, Wu Xiaowen’s reasoning wasn’t that complicated, nor was her action intentional. She knew that Xiao Man was well looked after by Grandma Tang, who surely sent her money and goods. Tang Qingyun had even rented a company apartment for her to live in. Whether in terms of lifestyle or material possessions, Xiao Man was much better off than Tang Yaxuan. Therefore, as a mother, she naturally leaned toward Tang Yaxuan a little more.

Bai Junfan didn’t know all this. He had been an adopted son himself, and his adoptive parents had treated him well. They were impartial toward him and Yang Liu’er, loving them both equally. But that was because they saw him as half-son, half-son-in-law, someone they could count on to care for them in their old age. In contrast, Aunt Wu’s affection for Tang Yaxuan far surpassed her feelings for Mo Xiaoman; she even sounded annoyed when she spoke of her. ’This can only mean one thing,’ Bai Junfan mused. ’This mother and daughter just don’t get along! And maybe Mo Xiaoman doesn’t like Aunt Wu either!’

On the road from the provincial city to Wancheng, Bai Junfan considered his approach carefully and finally made a decision: he would use a different script for each girl. With Xiao Man, he would emphasize the long-standing friendship between the Bai and Tang families, explaining that he was visiting her as an older brother. As for Aunt Wu, a brief mention would suffice.

At Huashan Commune Middle School, Bai Junfan arrived in a jeep, looking dashing and handsome in his military uniform. He drew the gazes of nearly every student and teacher on campus, giving Tang Yaxuan, who was walking beside him, a great sense of pride. Unfortunately, Bai Junfan couldn’t stay long. He only exchanged a few pleasantries with her, passed on the message Wu Xiaowen had entrusted to him, and then left.

Bai Junfan had wanted to take Tang Yaxuan out for a nice meal at a restaurant to improve her diet and nutrition, but unfortunately, there were no restaurants in this rural area, so he had to drop the idea.

Although Tang Yaxuan was dissatisfied that she had to wait until the New Year to return to the provincial city, she was still delighted that her mother had sent such a handsome and distinguished Brother Bai to visit her. Brother Bai’s looks and bearing were in no way inferior to Brother Shaojun’s. He was gentle and kind to her, his tone full of doting affection, and the feeling he gave her was familiar and intimate. The hurt and dejection caused by Brother Shaojun a few days ago were swiftly healed. Seeing the other girls around her stare with eyes red with envy brought her immense vanity a great deal of satisfaction. Tang Yaxuan reluctantly saw Brother Bai off, mentally placing him in the second most important position in her heart. ’The first, of course, still has to be Brother Shaojun. I won’t give up until the very last moment!’

This was about whether she could return to the Tang family! ’As long as I can win Brother Shaojun’s sympathy and affection and make him insist on marrying me, the Tang family will have to acknowledge my status out of respect for the Gu family. Even just being an adopted daughter of the Tang family is a hundred times better than being in the Mo family!’

At this time, Tang Yaxuan still didn’t know anything about Brother Bai’s background, so she wasn’t placing any great hopes on him. Her feelings for the handsome Brother Bai were merely the simple crush of a young girl.

Bai Junfan went to Ping County Middle School. He had seen a few photos of Xiao Man and Hao Hao together at Wu Xiaowen’s house, so he had a vague impression of her. Waiting at the school gate, he easily recognized Xiao Man in the crowd of students leaving for the day.

The young lady had certainly grown well, inheriting all the best traits from her parents—her father’s delicate features and her mother’s tall, slender figure. In person, she was far more beautiful and spirited than in the photos. Her hair was black and glossy, her skin fair and porcelain-like. Her eyes were especially beautiful; when she looked at someone, they were as bright and clear as stars, yet as her gaze shifted, they resembled a pool of spring water, shimmering with a tender, expressive light. One could only imagine that if you met such a beautiful gaze, you could easily get lost in it, unable to pull yourself away.

Even though he’d known a stunner like Yang Liu’er and had no shortage of proud daughters of high-ranking officials and beautiful army arts troupe soldiers chasing after him in the military, Bai Junfan couldn’t help but feel his heart flutter the moment he saw Xiao Man. ’This little lady is growing up to be the spitting image of my dream girl,’ he thought. ’What’s she going to be like when she’s fully grown?’

If, at the beginning, winning over Xiao Man was just about completing a mission, now, Bai Junfan had changed his mind. His entire heart was like a sail puffed full with wind, driving him forward with unstoppable momentum, completely beyond his own control. ’A woman like Tang Manman is worthy of me, Bai Junfan!’ he resolved. ’I must win her over. I absolutely cannot let Gu Shaojun get to her first!’

Bai Junfan knew that first impressions were especially important, so he didn’t rashly get out and strike up a conversation with Xiao Man. Instead, he sat quietly in his car, carefully pondering a way to orchestrate an encounter. He might not have time to create a beautiful, romantic moment, but he could at least make a strong, positive impression.

As if heaven had heard his wish, an opportunity truly presented itself.

Amid cries of alarm from the crowd, two large bulls suddenly came charging down the road, chasing each other at a full gallop. Their eyes were bloodshot. It was obvious they were fighting.

In this era, there weren’t many vehicles on the county town’s streets, so it wasn’t strange to see cattle, horses, or sheep. Not far from the county middle school was a newly built farmers’ market, where farmers often came on oxcarts to sell their produce. The drivers were usually men, and sometimes, after finishing their business and with a bit of money in their pockets, those fond of a drink would gather to share a few dishes and a couple of glasses of liquor before heading home. To drink, they naturally had to unhitch their carts and let the oxen relax. After all, draft oxen were very valuable back then and had to be treated well.

Once unharnessed, the oxen would gather together and occasionally cause trouble—locking horns, fighting, and chasing each other wildly all over the streets. This sort of thing had happened at the school gate more than once or twice, and for the time being, no one was doing anything about it.

The fighting water buffalo charged toward the middle school gate. Students, leaving school in groups of three and five, were crossing the road. Some spotted the rampaging bulls and quickly dodged, but many others didn’t see where the animals were coming from or which way to run. The situation was incredibly perilous.

Mo Xiaoman was walking in the road. Her hearing and vision were far superior to an ordinary person’s, so under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t expend True Yuan to release her Divine Sense. She knew which direction the stampeding bulls were coming from, but she didn’t dodge. Instead, she moved a few steps toward them through the scattering crowd and took several hard candies from her satchel. Her intention was to hit the bulls’ leg joints to stop their charge and prevent them from hurting anyone.

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