CHAPTER 560: CHAPTER 544: VORTEX

Jiang Xiaoxiao walked to the grocery store on the corner and noticed a stranger woman warmly welcoming customers at the counter.

"Sister Li, what are you buying today?"

"I want half a bottle of vinegar."

"Alright, just a moment, I’ll get you a tall one."

A bottle of vinegar was handed over.

The woman smiled broadly and asked Jiang Xiaoxiao, "Little comrade, what else do you need?"

"I want some salt, how much is salt per jin?"

"Eight cents per jin. A bag contains one jin, and there’s also a three-jin option. How much do you want?"

Jiang Xiaoxiao felt a wave of relief.

"I want three liang of salt! Is that alright?"

The woman laughed, "Sure, three liang it is."

A package of salt was handed to her, and Jiang Xiaoxiao gave the woman a paper note.

She only returned home after receiving her change.

Jiang Xiaoxiao returned home.

Tang Yuan heard the door opening from the opposite side and rushed out.

The plump little white chubby hugged Jiang Xiaoxiao’s leg.

"Mom, you’re so bad, coming back and not looking for Tang Yuan."

With chubby fingers poking Jiang Xiaoxiao’s arm, a little face looked up with a pitiful reproach.

Jiang Xiaoxiao, feeling tenderly sorry, hugged Tang Yuan, rubbing his little face, kissing his forehead and smooth cheek.

"Tang Yuan, Mom missed you too."

The warm breath immediately dissolved Tang Yuan’s complaints as his lotus-like arms tightly embraced Jiang Xiaoxiao’s neck.

"Mom, Tang Yuan missed you too, but you clearly came back yesterday and didn’t look for Tang Yuan. Tang Yuan would be upset!"

Jiang Xiaoxiao knew it must be because Tang Yuan heard her returning last night.

She hugged Tang Yuan tightly with guilt, "Mom was wrong, I was too tired last night, so I didn’t come to see Tang Yuan. I apologize. I’ll never do it again."

Tang Yuan generously puffed out his chest, "Alright! I forgive Mom. Mom, when will Dad come back? I miss Dad too."

Jiang Xiaoxiao carried Tang Yuan inside, "Is it because you want Dad to give you a piggyback ride?"

With one sentence, she revealed the little chubby’s intentions.

Tang Yuan stuck out his tongue, "I miss Dad too! Really!"

"Dad will be back soon. Our Tang Yuan needs to be patient a little longer."

She kicked the door shut with her foot, carried Tang Yuan to the sofa, and put down the little chubby.

"Chubby Tang Yuan, you need to lose weight; you’re too heavy, Mom can hardly carry you."

Tang Yuan pinched the love handles on his tummy, blushed unwittingly.

Lately, he seemed to be eating too much.

It seems he’ll need to eat one less bowl of rice in the future, otherwise, how could Mom manage to carry Tang Yuan?

Tang Yuan loved his mom’s soft embrace.

"Am I really that chubby? Great-grandma said Tang Yuan looks better when he’s a bit chubby."

Tang Yuan justified himself; he usually ate three bowls of rice at a meal. If he ate one less, he would have trouble falling asleep.

Thinking about this made Tang Yuan feel like the sky was falling.

The world just wasn’t beautiful anymore.

"In your great-grandma’s eyes, even if Tang Yuan turns into a little pig, you’d still be the cutest."

This was true.

Old Mrs. Song treasured her great-grandson as her darling. In her eyes, Tang Yuan could do no wrong.

Jiang Xiaoxiao feared that Old Mrs. Song was spoiling the child terribly.

For now, Tang Yuan seemed to be well-behaved and principled, but who knows how he’d turn out later on.

Tang Yuan anxiously rubbed his little tummy and then touched his double chin, finally making a difficult decision.

"Mom, from now on, Tang Yuan will only eat one bowl of rice."

"You should eat more vegetables and less meat."

That’s the key!

Young Tang Yuan was a carnivore, loving meat with every meal. With meat, he could eat three bowls of rice; without it, he couldn’t even finish one bowl with greens and carrots.

So Old Mrs. Song served meat and fish every day. Otherwise, how else did he get so chubby?

Tang Yuan pouted, "Mom, vegetables aren’t tasty; meat is delicious."

That’s Tang Yuan’s fate, living without meat would feel like dying.

"Then Mom can’t carry Tang Yuan, which she doesn’t want either. I’d love to hold Tang Yuan and watch cartoons."

Tang Yuan’s current favorite was Ikkyu-san.

As soon as he heard the Ikkyu-san theme song, the little one settled firmly on the sofa without moving.

"Ikkyu-san barely eats meat and isn’t chubby."

It’s the idol effect.

Tang Yuan proudly promised while patting his chest, "Tang Yuan can do it too; Tang Yuan can be just like Ikkyu-san."

That evening, a diet meal of stir-fried cabbage and half a bowl of porridge marked the start of Tang Yuan’s diet.

It’s not that Jiang Xiaoxiao was being harsh.

Tang Yuan was only two years old and already weighed fifty pounds. If this continued, numerous health issues would arise.

Once grown, losing weight would be too late.

Of course, this also had to do with many poor lifestyle habits of Tang Yuan.

With Jiang Xiaoxiao and Song Moting short on time to care for the child, Tang Yuan spent most of his time with Old Sir Song and Old Mrs. Song, who cherished him dearly.

Naturally, they granted every request and fulfilled every wish.

Jiang Xiaoxiao stroked Tang Yuan’s hair, washed clean; Tang Yuan already lay sprawled out comfortably in bed, snoring softly, asleep.

This child was full of energy, not napping during the day, leading to utter exhaustion at night.

Jiang Xiaoxiao kissed her son’s little face.

She wondered if the address on the one yuan bill she got for buying salt at the shop might help Jin Dachuan find Song Moting and the others.

She didn’t know if she did the right thing.

But now she couldn’t meet with Jin Dachuan and could only wait anxiously and uneasily.

She had seen the Mu family’s details and couldn’t understand why, with all their wealth, they still sought to increase it this way.

Why exactly?

Risking countless lives for their wealth, though seeing Mu Shaocheng’s bond with his daughter today was truly moving.

But looking at those bloody photos, those injuries from biological weapons, that pain seemed to dilute the genuine feelings between Mu Shaocheng and his daughter.

Jiang Xiaoxiao was more worried about Song Moting.

Even if she didn’t fully understand the truth, she now realized the dangers of the mission Song Moting and the others were on.

Moreover, the mission involved secret identities and anonymous operations; even if caught, no organization recognized them, no country acknowledged them.

Because it was cross-border, they went beyond borders to fight.

In other words, if anything happened to them, no one could protect them.

Jin Dachuan was desperately trying to rescue them only because he was their comrade-in-arms.

Jiang Xiaoxiao worried about Song Moting’s situation abroad.

Additionally, she had a lingering worry, besides for Song Moting, that something inexplicable seemed to be happening to her since the Mu family suddenly approached her, and she was certain it wasn’t because of Song Moting.

Mu Feng had a purpose from the beginning when he got close to her, starting after her sophomore year.

In her freshman year, despite her popularity, no one sought her out.

What exactly was the Mu family’s goal?

With the Song family around, the Mu family wouldn’t dare act rashly.

But now that they approached her, it wasn’t simply because they didn’t dare, but rather, they were moving with a clear target, which was Jiang Xiaoxiao.

Jiang Xiaoxiao was worried about her family, knowing the Song family members were fine with Old Sir Song and Old Mrs. Song being specially guarded safely, people wouldn’t dare to move against them.

But her parents, Fan Xiuying and Jiang Laoshi, were just ordinary people.

Her siblings were also ordinary people, and anyone causing trouble would pose the biggest threat.

This kind of hidden danger poses a threat to their lives.

She firmly believed that those behind the Mu family who dared to conduct such business wouldn’t hesitate to break any promises.

Harm to innocents was out of the question.

It was the first time Jiang Xiaoxiao began to examine her capabilities seriously.

Seemingly now trapped in a whirlpool.

A whirlpool she couldn’t escape from.