She dialed the number again but the other end didn’t even pick up this time and just hung up.
The landline phone in the first-floor living room of the Huo Manor kept ringing as the maids looked at Jiang Tao strangely. However, her status in the Huo Family was higher than theirs, so they did not dare to question her casually.
Jiang Tao curled her lips and calmly retrieved the coldness from her eyes.
I’m not picking up. Let’s see what you can do!
“What’s wrong, Yaoyao?”
Tang Xinrou approached, wondering why she kept holding the phone without speaking.
“Is no one home?” she asked as she patted the girl on the head. “It’s fine. Even if no one comes, you’ve still got us! We won’t let the principal scold you!”
Song Yaoyao’s dimples were deep as she nodded her head sweetly. “En!”
She put her mobile phone in her pocket and crouched outside with everyone as they counted the ants on the ground.
The chubby boy, Long Hu, sighed. “I’m so bored. If only we had a set of poker.”
“You wish!” Gong Wei sneered. “Do you want me to find you a table and three poker players to play with you?”
Long Hu pouted and mumbled, “It would be great if that was possible…”
His indifference was hopeless to deal with.
Song Yaoyao was afraid of the cold. In the north, the weather was dry and cold, and it chilled one down to the bone. She hugged her knees and kneeled on the floor, huddling up into a ball. The coldness caused her to sneeze.
Tang Xinrou’s heart ached. She moved close to Song Yaoyao and stretched out her arm to pull her into her embrace. “Long Hu, crouch over here. The wind is too cold.”
Long Hu, who was in the middle of complaining, replied with an unenthusiastic, “Okay.” He then moved toward Song Yaoyao, crouched down, and did not move.
Sigh—
Gong Wei laughed in anger.
She had to admit that the third class was quite harmonious. Unfortunately, they always frustrated the teachers.
…
As the weather cooled down, Uncle Zhang began to go everywhere with his thermos.
The reality was, he didn’t have much to do at the Huo Manor; he was practically in a retired state.
As he returned from outside, he noticed one of the maids hesitating to say something. He raised an eyebrow and asked gently, “What’s wrong? Do you have something to say to me?”
The maid’s eyes darted as she looked around. When she saw that Jiang Tao was nowhere in sight, she said carefully, “Uncle Zhang, the phone in the living room was ringing earlier, and it sounded like Miss Song’s voice. But Jiang Tao kept hanging up and saying she had rung the wrong number.”
Miss Song was a vibrant character. Whenever the Master was home, the manor would be filled with her lively voice.
She was sure that she had heard correctly.
“Oh? Thank you for letting me know, you can go back to work.” Uncle Zhang patted her on the shoulder and slowly walked back into the house.
Jiang Tao was daydreaming in the living room at that moment and did not notice a figure slowly approach her.
Only when Uncle Zhang made a noise did she jump and snap back to reality.
“Jiang Tao, what are you in a daze about?”
When Jiang Tao saw his smile, she breathed out, patted her clothes, and said calmly, “Probably due to the cold weather, I think I caught a cold, so my mind wandered off for a bit.”
She smiled and pleaded, “Uncle Zhang, let me go this once. I won’t do it again!”
Uncle Zhang’s expression did not change. “Oh, since you’re not feeling well, you should get some rest. Find a doctor to prescribe some medicine and have a good sleep. The Huos may have a lot of rules, but they’re not heartless,” he said like a kind old man. “You’re not needed here. Go get some rest.”
“Then…”
Jiang Tao hesitated for a moment before she looked at the phone. It had been quiet for a while.
So she nodded her head. “Thank you, Uncle Zhang. I will return to the back.”
The owner stayed at the front of the house, and the staff stayed at the back.
When she saw Uncle Zhang nod, Jiang Tao finally left.