Xiao Ya made another call to Wei Wenqing, briefly informing him that these people had been dismissed and reminding him to verify if the refund had been received.
After hanging up, Wei Wenqing was still a bit dazed. He then called his brother Wei Wenjuan to share the news.
Wei Wenjuan remarked with emotion, "Those charlatans can finally get lost! Haha! I've hated them for who knows how long. Never thought Xiao Ya would kick them out and even manage to get the money back..."
Wei Wenqing typed out a voice message: "Xiao Ya is very brave. If only we had been that brave back then..."
Wei Wenjuan replied, "Oh, that wouldn't have happened! Father wouldn't dare to hit Xiao Ya, but he had no problem hitting us."
"...Brother has a point."
"On a serious note, now that these people are leaving, remember the family rules."
"Understood."
The brothers ended their call.
Wei Wenqing went out and summoned a servant, typing: "Keep an eye on them. When they leave, they can't take any luggage with them."
According to the Gui Family's rules, when outsiders came to stay, the family provided everything they needed, so they couldn't take anything when they left.
This rule was established by the Old Master after the family had suffered losses in the past.
After all, smuggling out gold and silver would be considered minor compared to if someone took away confidential information... that would have severe consequences!
The servant followed Wei Wenqing's instructions and waited at the door.
First, they saw off the monks and Taoist priests.
Then it was the group led by the Archbishop.
"Wait! You can't leave!" The servant stopped them.
The Archbishop angrily said, "The money has been refunded. What more do you want? You're insulting our faith!"
The servant pointed behind them: "The suitcases. You can't take them."
"Those contain our personal belongings..."
"You still can't take them. Didn't you read the contract terms carefully when you signed?"
"Hey, listen, this isn't legal. There's never been such a requirement!"
The servant paused for a moment, then hesitantly said, "When our family is abroad, we occasionally do some illegal things too. It's quite normal."
"..." The Archbishop fell silent.
"We have souvenirs in our suitcases to take back. How can we leave them here?" A nun whispered softly.
"Yes, and the key issue is that the people here have no faith at all. How can we leave our Bibles in such a place? They'll surely destroy them as soon as we're gone," someone else added.
The Archbishop's frown deepened: "That's right! We should fight for our rights! Get out of the way!"
Wei Wenqing hadn't expected this to turn into an argument. He hurriedly came over with bodyguards, surrounding the group.
He silently surveyed these people.
Something seemed odd.
*
Meanwhile, Xiao Ya looked at the servant and asked, "They are...?"
Secretary Wang, remembering his role, lied without batting an eye: "Oh, they're just hourly workers. They'll be leaving soon."
The servant: ?
Well, if the boss says they're leaving... then they're leaving.
In the blink of an eye, the room became even more silent.
Xiao Ya took a breath. The air felt cold, without a hint of warmth.
She got off the sofa and asked, "Where's the kitchen?"
Secretary Wang pointed: "What are you going to do?"
"Boil some water. I'm thirsty."
Secretary Wang got up and handed her a bottle of mineral water: "Drink this."
Xiao Ya grabbed it: "It's cold."
Still, she went into the kitchen and came out a moment later with two bowls of hot water.
She generously offered one to Secretary Wang: "Drinking cold water can give you a stomachache. This won't."
Secretary Wang let out a soft "Ah": "No wonder I always feel uncomfortable."
"What's for dinner?" Xiao Ya asked proactively.
"Baked potatoes. I watched that show of yours, and they looked delicious," Secretary Wang walked into the kitchen and turned on the gas stove. "Come on, let's bake them."
Xiao Ya frowned slightly, staring at the blue flame of the gas stove: "Are we baking them directly on this?"
"Is that not okay?"
"I don't think so."
Secretary Wang was still eager to try, but remembering he had just agreed to listen to the child, he gave up on the attempt.
"What's this?" Xiao Ya pointed and asked.
Many things in this kitchen were unfamiliar to Xiao Ya. In the past, she had only used clay stoves, and after returning to her grandfather's house, she never had the chance to go into the kitchen.
"That's a microwave."
"And this?"
"A dishwasher."
"This one..."
"An oven."
Xiao Ya leaned in front of the oven: "This looks like it can bake things."
Secretary Wang brightened up: "Then let's use it to bake now."
Xiao Ya asked: "How do you use this?"
Secretary Wang seemed quite experienced: "Here, let me show you how to set it."
Xiao Ya thought for a moment: "Never mind, I'd rather read the manual."
Secretary Wang narrowed his eyes: "You don't trust me that much?"
Xiao Ya nodded firmly, without a trace of pretense: "Mm-hmm."
Secretary Wang withdrew his hand: "Then I'll go find some potatoes for you."
This house was really too big, but fortunately, it had been organized by professionals. Xiao Ya spent some effort and found a neatly arranged stack of manuals for all the appliances in the house in a drawer.
It was a thick pile.
Xiao Ya loved reading, so this stack was just like a book to her.
She sat down and slowly began to flip through them, committing everything to memory bit by bit.
After a while, Secretary Wang straightened up and handed her two potatoes: "Seems to be some kind of specially cultivated variety, very soft and creamy..."
Xiao Ya stared at the potatoes: "But they've sprouted."
"Yes, so?"
"Eating them could cause poisoning."
Secretary Wang had another moment of realization: "No wonder it put Big Brother in the hospital last time."
Xiao Ya: ?
Xiao Ya quickly grabbed the two potatoes and tossed them into the garbage bin with a thud.
Secretary Wang sighed with disappointment: "Then we can't eat any of them. I'll call someone right away..."
To deliver new ones.
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Secretary Wang swallowed them back.
After all, his current role probably shouldn't act like that.
"Let's go buy some new ones," Xiao Ya suggested.
Secretary Wang could only agree: "Alright."
Half an hour later, Secretary Wang stood silently at the entrance of the noisy market.
Strong fish odors wafted over from nearby, penetrating deep into his senses.
Big fish splashed water onto the ground, forming puddles here and there.
Damp, dirty, earthy smells...
Secretary Wang felt a bit uncomfortable.
...Shouldn't they have gone to a supermarket instead?
"We..." Secretary Wang had just started to speak.
Xiao Ya grabbed his hand and led him inside.
The two of them were too good-looking, attracting many curious glances as soon as they entered.
"One silver carp, please!" Xiao Ya stood on tiptoe, her head barely peeking over the tall fish tank.
"Coming right up!" The shopkeeper responded, watching as the little girl handled the entire process of selecting the fish and paying for it.
He couldn't help but glance curiously at Secretary Wang, thinking this must be some kind of social practice to train children's self-reliance skills...
After buying the fish, Xiao Ya went on to buy new potatoes, tomatoes, bamboo shoots...
Then she went to the small shop next to the market to pick out bowls and chopsticks, shoes and socks, pillows, pillowcases, and duvet covers for herself...
When they returned to the apartment building.
A pair of fluffy slippers with a crooked plush pig sewn on top appeared at the entrance.
Along with a shopping basket.
The table now had several practical stainless steel cups.
The bed was covered with a duvet featuring the character for "double happiness", which Xiao Ya remembered as the most expensive and highest quality style.
The kitchen gained rooster bowls and a red checkered apron...
The cold decorating style was instantly broken, taking on a distinctly urban-rural fusion vibe.
Secretary Wang scanned the room and asked, "I remember your school had appreciation classes like flower arranging and such..."
Xiao Ya nodded: "Yes, we did. But the teacher said I had no aesthetic sense. Then Sheng Yuxiao made them cancel all those classes!"
You really are a troublemaker, dear nephew! Secretary Wang clicked his tongue.
