TPW – Chapter 68

“Of course you can.” Qiao Lu kissed his cheek and said affirmatively.

The little guy seemed a bit incredulous. He repeatedly examined his mother’s expression.

No matter how he looked, she didn’t seem to be joking. His tense nerves suddenly relaxed.

Still speaking and moving cautiously, he asked, “Then… if Uncle wants to kiss me again, can I refuse?”

“You can. As long as you don’t want it, you can say no.”

Adults often express affection for children through kisses, regardless of whether the child is willing or not.

If a child resists, the adult might pretend to be angry. Children like Qiao An, who are well-behaved, often end up giving in.

If the resistance continues, some parents might step in to save face, saying things like: “Let Uncle or Auntie hug and kiss you, it’s nothing—they’re just fond of you.”

But in reality, this kind of behavior isn’t good. It subconsciously blurs the boundaries between children and outsiders.

Over time, it can make children afraid to say no. They become overly compliant, eventually developing a people-pleasing personality.

“No matter who it is, you don’t need to worry about whether they’re friends with Mom and Dad. Even if it’s Mom or Dad—if you don’t want something, you can say no. Do you understand?”

When she finished speaking, Qiao An’s eyes widened into full circles.

Uncle Li was a good friend of Mom and Dad. He had been nice to him, let him listen to music on a portable player, even bought him snacks—like canned yellow peaches!

“Even Mom and Dad can be told no?” Qiao An found it hard to believe.

But they’re Mom and Dad! The closest people to him—surely saying no to them isn’t right?

“Yes, An’an. What Mama wants you to understand is: no matter who it is—whether we know them or not, whether they’re family or friends, even Mom and Dad—if you don’t like what someone is asking, you have every right to say no. You should refuse things that make you uncomfortable. You don’t have to accept something just to please others. Understand?”

That long explanation took Qiao An quite some time to digest.

His mouth opened into a surprised “O.”

“Did you remember?”

“Really?” Still unsure, he asked again.

“Really.” Qiao Lu encouraged him firmly.

In an instant, he seemed filled with motivation, his little fists clenched as if taking an oath:

“Mm! Mama, I remember. From now on, if anyone wants to kiss or touch me, I won’t let them—because I don’t like being kissed!”

Clearly, the child had long wanted to say no—he was just afraid of making his parents angry, afraid his mom would think he was being “naughty.” But now that Mama said he could refuse, he would bravely do so from now on!

“That’s right. That’s exactly what you should do.”

Actually, teaching her son this wasn’t just about preventing a people-pleasing personality—it was more importantly to guard against predators, like pedophiles.

Before she transmigrated, Qiao Lu had paid attention to news on such matters. Most predators preferred children who lacked a sense of security and were easily controlled—usually targeting familiar and obedient kids.

Children like Qiao An, who habitually tried to please adults, practically had a label on their foreheads: “I’m easy to bully.”

If a bad person wouldn’t target you, then who else?

Don’t be fooled by the fact that it’s the 1980s—there’s no shortage of perverts!

Her son was obedient, cute, sensible, and easily tricked. As his mother, she was worried sick!

They had Li Hongjun stay for dinner that evening. Qiao Lu specially steamed sticky bean buns and made sauerkraut blood sausage—a recipe she had learned from Yu Zhilan. Though hers wasn’t quite as authentic, it wasn’t far off.

When the food was ready, Qiao An helped his mom set the table, running around busily. Li Hongjun praised the boy endlessly for being so well-behaved.

“What a good little one, helping your mom with chores. Come, give Uncle a kiss.”

This time, Qiao An refused without hesitation: “No kissing.”

He twisted away nimbly, evading the attempt.

Li Hongjun burst out laughing and chased after him: “Just one kiss—we’re not strangers, are we?”

Qiao An twisted away again, dodging his grasp and darting behind Xu Haizhou: “No no! Other than Mom and Dad, I won’t let anyone kiss me.”

Li Hongjun laughed and didn’t press further, asking, “Why? Just a minute ago, you let me kiss you.”

“I don’t want to anymore.” The little guy shook his head, standing straight and tall, speaking with calm confidence.

Li Hongjun poked his forehead: “You fickle little rascal.”

While they ate dinner, Li Hongjun updated the couple on the situation while they were away.

“Business was really good during the half month you two were gone. On New Year’s Day, I even called Caijun to help out—two people running around like crazy. I was worried we’d run out of stock before you came back.”

“So busy? Then we should give him something for his trouble.” After the crackdown campaign, Hou Caijun seemed to have nothing to do and had turned into a utility man—helping wherever needed.

Picking up a piece of blood sausage, Li Hongjun nodded: “Yes, we should. I asked him how much he wanted, and he said it’s up to us—even said it’s fine if we don’t give anything. But how can we let him help for free? I couldn’t decide how much to give, so I waited for you to return to discuss it.”

After all, it wasn’t just his own stall. Since it involved money, it should be discussed with the “shareholders.”

“He’s been helping since New Year’s Day, so that’s eight days. What do you think is fair?” Li Hongjun asked.

“Did he come every day?” Xu Haizhou asked.

“Yes, every day—from 8 AM to around 7:30 PM.”

“That busy?” Normally, in summer you’d close by 6:30 PM, and in winter by 5:30 PM. Didn’t expect the New Year’s season to stretch until 7:30.

“Yeah, today was the first slow day. Otherwise, I’d still be at the stall now.” It was Spring Festival after all—everyone saved money all year to splurge now. Understandable.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Haizhou looked at the others and said, “Let’s give 20 yuan per day. Round it up to 200.”

Carrying goods and making deliveries wasn’t easy. The extra could be counted as a hardship bonus.

“Alright.” Saying that, Li Hongjun pulled out a ledger and some cash from his big coat pocket: “It’s all here. You double-check.”

Xu Haizhou handed it all to Qiao Lu—she was the family’s “accountant.”

Qiao Lu took it. “Okay, I’ll keep it for now and go over it tonight.”

The group continued eating. Suddenly, Li Hongjun asked: “By the way, do you remember the clothing stall at the entrance of Baiyun Street? The outermost one?”

After thinking for a bit, an image finally appeared in Qiao Lu’s mind. She asked, “The one with the wild ‘big fuzzy’ hairstyle?”

Pfft—

“Big fuzzy hairstyle? Hahaha—” Li Hongjun burst out laughing. “Sister-in-law, that’s a perfect description—spot on.”

Big fuzzy—yes, that’s exactly what it was.

The man looked to be about thirty-seven or thirty-eight. He sold clothes but always looked unkempt despite the profession.

In summer, he wore flip-flops and big shorts; in winter, he wrapped up tightly. Only that fluffy hairstyle remained unchanged year-round. Though his personality was bold and outgoing, he’d recently gotten weirdly competitive with Xu Haizhou’s stall.

“What happened with him?” the couple asked in unison.

Li Hongjun chuckled, “He’s been acting strange lately—picking fights. That’s one of the reasons I got Caijun to help out. He’s big and can keep the peace in case ‘Big Fuzzy’ causes trouble.”

“Causing trouble?”

“Yeah.” Li Hongjun’s expression turned serious. “He said he wants to switch places with us.”

The couple was baffled: “What do you mean?”

Didn’t Big Fuzzy already occupy the best stall on Baiyun Street?

Why would he want to trade for Xu Haizhou’s worst spot? What was he planning?