Tan Jianping and Tian Man had built a good rapport with Yue Mingyuan and Ye Zhiqiu, and the children from both families had grown close too.
There were plenty of air-raid shelters in the compound, so the kids’ favorite games were “capture the flag” and hide-and-seek.
Normally, Tan Nan, Yue Youxin, and Yue Youhui would have been off playing capture the flag, but since they had Tan Bei and Yaya with them, they stuck to simpler games like “Red Light, Green Light” and hide-and-seek.
Yaya was still too young, and besides, she wasn’t really into those games anyway. She just wanted to soak up some sun and watch the big kids play.
She sat in her stroller, accompanied not only by Huo Jiusi but also by Little Bear and Little White.
Little White hated the cold, so whenever they went out, she’d either squeeze into the stroller with Yaya or curl up on Little Bear’s back.
Little White was a black cat, and Little Bear was also black, so half the time, when Little White lay on Little Bear, you could barely tell they were two separate creatures.
Still, whenever Yaya called her—even if she was fast asleep—she’d always come running right away.
“Here.”
Yaya handed the banana Tan Nan had given her to Huo Jiusi, who naturally took it and peeled it for her.
Just as Tan Nan had said, the outside might have looked black, but the inside was perfectly white and pristine.
Bananas were one of those things—people who loved them thought they smelled sweet, while people who didn’t thought they stank.
And as it happened, Yaya was one of the ones who loved them.
She’d discovered that her sense of smell was incredibly sharp. She didn’t even need to taste something to know if it was good—she could tell just by the scent.
The banana Tan Nan gave her smelled wonderful, and when she took a bite, it was indeed very sweet.
After a few bites, she was about to hand it to Huo Jiusi when a chubby little boy came charging over, trying to snatch it right out of her hand.
Little Bear immediately stepped forward and let out a low growl at the boy: “Woof—!”
Startled, the little boy fell flat on his bottom and burst into tears. “A dog! There’s a dog!”
“Son! What happened?!”
Hearing her son’s cries, the boy’s mother came running over.
If Ye Zhiqiu had been there, she would have recognized this woman as Ma Laidi—the same one who’d come looking for trouble and hurled insults at her before.
“Mom, I want to eat that!” The chubby boy pointed at the banana in Yaya’s hand.
Ma Laidi glanced at it. She had no idea what Yaya was eating, but even from a distance, she could smell that sweet, fragrant aroma—it had to be something good.
“Son, look at that thing—all black and grimy. It can’t possibly taste good. Listen to Mom, let’s not eat that, okay? How about I go get you an apple instead?” Ma Laidi tried to coax him.
“I don’t want an apple! I want that!” The boy threw a full-blown tantrum, rolling around on the ground.
“Alright, alright, Mom will buy it for you, she’ll buy it for you.” Ma Laidi tugged at him. “Get up now, son. The ground’s cold—you’ll get a stomachache.”
“I’m not getting up! I’m not moving until you get me that!” The boy shoved his mother. “Mom, go take it from her!”
It was clear he was used to grabbing whatever he wanted from other kids.
Yaya found this hilarious and let out a giggle. Huo Jiusi crouched down and wiped her mouth for her.
Yaya brought the banana to Huo Jiusi’s lips, and he took just one tiny bite. Seeing how much she enjoyed it, he made a mental note to have his people get more later—along with banana jam and other banana-flavored treats.
“So sweet!” Yaya took another small bite.
Hearing her say that only made the chubby boy cry louder. “I want some! Give it to me!”
Ma Laidi knew perfectly well that Yaya was General Yue’s granddaughter—and that the general doted on her dearly.
And the little boy standing beside her was Old Man Huo’s grandson.
If Yaya had been alone, Ma Laidi wouldn’t have cared if she was the general’s granddaughter—she’d have snatched that banana for her son without a second thought.
What right did some little brat have to eat something so good? She didn’t deserve it!
But with Old Man Huo’s grandson right there, she didn’t dare make a move.
Yaya nibbled on her banana slowly, deliberately teasing the chubby boy. “So yummy.”
“Thirsty. Want water.”
Yaya waved her little hand. Huo Jiusi took it gently. “Yaya, we didn’t bring any water out. How about we go home and have some?”
“No! I want it now. Go home and get it for me!”
Yaya blinked, and Huo Jiusi understood—she was trying to send him away on purpose.
He remembered this woman. And if he did, then Yaya did too.
She was getting back at her for Ye Aunty.
Huo Jiusi glanced at Little Bear and Little White, knowing that with those two around, the woman couldn’t hurt Yaya.
And that wasn’t all—several birds were perched in the trees, stray dogs lurked in the grass, and feral cats hid in the air-raid shelters.
If this woman so much as tried to harm Yaya, every single one of them would spring into action.
“Alright, I’ll go home and get you some water. You stay here and be good. Don’t wander off, okay?” Huo Jiusi reminded her.
Yaya nodded obediently. “Okay.”
The moment Huo Jiusi left, Ma Laidi’s eyes lit up.
She looked around to make sure no one was watching, then nervously glanced at the bear-like dog beside Yaya.
Little Bear just lay there, not even bothering to give Ma Laidi a glance—because Yaya had told him to behave.
Ma Laidi took a hesitant step forward, then another. When Little Bear still didn’t react, she grew bolder and strode right up to Yaya, snatching the banana from her hand.
“What are you eating for, you little brat? Look at you—you’re practically as round as a ball! Aren’t you afraid no one will marry you when you grow up?”
“Mm…”
Yaya’s lower lip trembled, and she let out a tiny whimper. Fearing she’d start crying, Ma Laidi clamped a hand over her mouth and raised the other to strike her. “Don’t you dare cry! Aah—!”
Little White had been curled up there the whole time, and Ma Laidi hadn’t even noticed there was a cat beside Yaya.
But Little White wasn’t nearly as well-behaved as Little Bear. She leaped up and raked her claws right across Ma Laidi’s face.
Ma Laidi stumbled back and fell to the ground, and Little Bear immediately pounced on her.
And that wasn’t the end of it—the birds in the trees swooped down too, pecking at Ma Laidi’s head and face.
The sight terrified the chubby boy, who ran off wailing.
Ma Laidi’s screams were just as loud, drawing a crowd of onlookers.
Huo Jiusi hadn’t gone far—he’d stayed nearby. The moment he saw Ma Laidi raise her hand, his eyes had shifted to a deep, dark violet.
“Yaya, what happened?”
He was close enough to return to her side in no time, followed closely by Yue Youxin and the others.
Yaya pointed at the banana on the ground and spoke clearly and articulately: “Auntie stole my banana and said my mom ran off with someone else and doesn’t want me anymore.”
Ma Laidi hadn’t actually said that to her face just now, but she’d certainly gossiped about it behind her back—badmouthing both her mother and her.
She’d called her mother a vixen and her a little demon.
“An adult, snatching things from a child and saying things like that!”
“I don’t know what Comrade Ye ever did to her—she’s always running her mouth about her!”
“I think she’s just jealous that Xiao Ye is so pretty.”
The onlookers were all whispering among themselves, and not a single one was on Ma Laidi’s side—she’d done plenty of other unpleasant things in the past to earn their disdain.
