SFTD -Chapter 216 A Riot of Purple and Red with a Touch of Green

That evening, Xixi really did take Luoluo home with her. Even Pork Knuckle tagged along, clearly intending to stay for several days.

Ever since Xixi had moved in, Zhou Hai had almost forgotten what insomnia felt like. Yet now he lay on his bed staring blankly at the ceiling. One glance at the clock showed it was already one in the morning.

He got up to look for sleeping pills, but after searching the medicine box and drawers, he realized the place where he usually kept them was completely empty.

Where were the pills?

Could the little brat have hidden them as a prank?

Impossible. She was mischievous, but she would never touch things like that. That meant only one person could have taken them—Lu Xi.

That girl must have been worried the pills would harm his health, so she had secretly put them away.

But what was he supposed to do tonight?

Thinking of this, Zhou Hai shook his head helplessly and walked into Xixi’s room. On the bed sat a drumstick-shaped body pillow. He burst out laughing.

Holding it in his arms, he found it surprisingly comfortable, and it even carried Lu Xi’s familiar scent.

He took the pillow back to his own room and climbed into bed again. This time, drowsiness finally overtook him.

After what felt like forever, Saturday finally arrived.

Following the time Lu Xi had instructed him to come, Zhou Hai dressed neatly, picked up the gifts, and rang the Lu family’s doorbell.

As the bell echoed through the house, his throat tightened inexplicably, making him want to cough. His palms even started sweating.

He had never been this nervous before—not during college entrance exams, not even at crime scenes.

Yet today, he was nervous to this extent.

Even Zhou Hai himself found it unbelievable.

Before he could think further, the door opened.

A woman in her forties wearing an apron smiled warmly at him.

“You must be Forensic Doctor Zhou. Please come in!”

Not knowing her name, Zhou Hai had no idea how to address her. He could only force a smile and walk inside carrying the gifts.

Just as the woman reached out to take the presents, a small furry figure came charging over, wagging its tail wildly.

The moment it saw Zhou Hai, it leapt forward and latched onto his pant leg, whining and yipping while occasionally nibbling at the fabric.

The enthusiastic welcome ceremony left Zhou Hai dumbfounded.

Looking at the drool now smeared on his pants, Zhou Hai lightly nudged the corgi away with his foot.

Unfortunately, Pork Knuckle’s short legs demonstrated their full advantage. With just that tiny push, the dog rolled dramatically across the floor.

What nobody expected was that after rolling away, Pork Knuckle didn’t get up.

Instead, it instantly let out a miserable howl.

The deafening cry echoed through the entire house.

Zhou Hai stood there speechless.

Meanwhile, the woman beside him was already bent over laughing so hard that she completely ignored his existence.

In the next second, two figures rushed down the stairs.

One was the little brat, who immediately crouched down, scooped up the shamelessly acting Pork Knuckle, and began comforting it gently.

The other was a woman around fifty years old. Watching how briskly she hurried downstairs, nobody would have guessed her age.

“Pork Knuckle! Pork Knuckle!”

“What happened? Who bullied you?”

Seeing Luoluo holding the dog, the woman hurried over too, stroking Pork Knuckle’s head in the tone one would use to comfort a child.

Only then did Pork Knuckle’s howling subside a little, though it still rubbed its head pitifully against the woman’s palm from time to time.

Zhou Hai looked at the culprit.

Coincidentally, Pork Knuckle was also staring back at him with round black eyes.

Sensing the coldness in Zhou Hai’s gaze, the dog trembled all over and immediately burrowed deeper into the woman’s embrace.

Only then did Luoluo and the woman look toward the entrance.

Luoluo stomped her foot.

“Zhouzhou, you just met Pork Knuckle and you’re already bullying him! Hmph! (。ˇ︿ˇ。)”

The woman immediately agreed.

“Exactly!”

Zhou Hai was utterly bewildered.

Such an important first meeting—and it had been completely ruined by a dog.

Ruined!

Fortunately, the woman beside him gave Zhou Hai a little push and took the gifts from his hands.

“Forensic Doctor Zhou, please come in and sit down. I think Pork Knuckle just wanted your attention. That dog loves being noticed. Besides, Teacher Hu is only teasing you—she’s not angry.”

The tension on Zhou Hai’s face finally eased. He bowed politely toward the woman holding Pork Knuckle.

“Hello, Auntie. I’m Zhou Hai.”

Mother Lu hummed in acknowledgment, handed Pork Knuckle to Luoluo, and pointed toward the living room.

“Go sit on the sofa.”

No sooner had Zhou Hai sat down than the kitchen door swung open.

Lu Xi walked out from inside, followed by Father Lu, who was also wearing an apron.

One look at that arrangement, and Zhou Hai instantly understood the hierarchy within the Lu household.

His headache immediately intensified.

The moment Lu Xi saw him, she hurried over.

“You’re here. What was all that noise just now?”

Zhou Hai tugged lightly on her sleeve and shook his head subtly.

Luoluo ran over and leaned against Lu Xi.

“Zhouzhou bullied Pork Knuckle.”

Lu Xi poked Luoluo’s forehead and pushed her away with a look of disgust.

“Your Brother Zhouzhou picked Pork Knuckle out for you himself. How could he dislike him? Besides, like owner, like dog—you’re both drama queens.”

Luoluo pouted and immediately threw herself at Mother Lu.

“Waaah! Mama Lu, Sister Xixi is bullying me and taking Zhouzhou’s side!”

Mother Lu glared at Lu Xi and Zhou Hai.

“You two are not allowed to bully Luoluo. From now on, I’m backing her up!”

A flock of invisible crows flew across Zhou Hai’s head.

What was this even turning into?

Backing up the little brat?

Had he bullied her?

Wait…

Didn’t Luoluo just call Lu Xi’s mother “Mama Lu”?

Could it be…?

Zhou Hai looked at Lu Xi, silently mouthing the words “Mama Lu.”

Lu Xi blinked at him.

Only then did Zhou Hai understand.

The little girl really knew how to win people over. Lu Xi’s parents clearly adored her.

Thinking about it carefully, that was actually a good thing.

After all, she was basically helping him gather support.

With that thought, Zhou Hai’s gaze toward Luoluo immediately became much kinder. He even smiled a little at Pork Knuckle.

But the girl and dog tilted their heads in perfect synchronization and turned away from him.

Lu Zhengfei wiped his hands clean and walked over. After shaking hands with Zhou Hai, he sat down on the sofa.

“Don’t be nervous. Just treat this like your own home. Your auntie and I are both very easygoing people. Alright, now that everyone’s here, let’s eat. Come taste my cooking.”

Luoluo licked her lips.

“Papa Lu’s cooking is super delicious! Zhouzhou, you’re in for a treat today!”

Mother Lu pinched Luoluo’s nose affectionately.

“Alright, alright, your flattery skills are excellent. Let’s eat!”

Everyone took their seats.

As Zhou Hai looked around, he suddenly remembered the older sister Lu Xi rarely mentioned.

Quietly, he asked, “Your sister and her family didn’t come back?”

At last, Mother Lu showed a genuine smile.

Zhou Hai’s question pleased her greatly. After all, a man who cared about family members was someone who valued family.

“Lu Nan’s family works at the German Embassy. They haven’t come back in almost a year, so today it’s just us.”

Before long, Lu Xi had piled Zhou Hai’s plate high with food.

He felt a little embarrassed at first, but the moment he glanced at Luoluo’s plate, all his shame vanished.

At some point, the girl had switched to an enormous serving plate absolutely heaped with food. She ate while humming happily.

“Papa Lu, this meat is soooo delicious! How can you cook this well? It’s even better than Michelin chefs!”

The elderly couple clearly loved the praise and devoted themselves entirely to taking care of Luoluo.

When Zhou Hai looked at her, the little girl winked at him with an expression that clearly said: I’m working hard for your sake.

Zhou Hai resisted the urge to cover his face.

This child’s emotional intelligence was completely mismatched with her age.

Still, she really was the perfect undercover ally.

Just as he drifted into thought, Mother Lu suddenly spoke.

“Since the two of you think well of each other, don’t drag things out anymore. Hurry up and prepare for marriage.”

Lu Xi’s eyes widened as she looked at her mother.

“You’re just marrying me off that easily? I thought you’d at least discuss the bride price first. Isn’t it popular around Southeast China nowadays to ask for ‘a riot of purple and red with a touch of green, plus one thing moving and one thing unmoving’?”

Father Lu instantly became interested.

“What does that mean? Explain it.”

Lu Xi wiped the soup from the corner of her lips and began counting on her fingers.

“Ten thousand five-yuan purple bills, one thousand hundred-yuan red bills, and five hundred fifty-yuan green bills. That makes a bride price of 175,000 yuan.

‘Moving’ means a car.

‘Unmoving’ means a house.”

Cold sweat instantly appeared on Zhou Hai’s forehead.

What exactly was Lu Xi trying to do?

Father Lu and Mother Lu exchanged smiles.

“You silly girl. Girls always side with outsiders once they grow up. We’re not selling our daughter—why would we want money?”

Zhou Hai suddenly stood up.

He dug around in his pocket for a while, finally pulled out his wallet, and handed the whole thing directly to Lu Xi.

“My ID card, bank cards, salary card… plus the house, the car, and myself. From now on, everything belongs to you.

Uncle, Auntie… would this arrangement be acceptable?”