So hyped!

Close to midnight, around twelve o'clock, Xiao Bai was picked up by her aunt.

She sulked and refused to speak to her aunt because her aunt had promised to give her a little summer outfit yesterday, but failed to deliver, only teasing her.

Upon returning home, Xiao Bai immediately dashed into the bathroom to take a bath, and did not come out for a long time.

Ma Lanhua urged, "Xiao Bai, what on earth are you doing in there?"

"... Scrubbing myself, duh."

"You've been scrubbing for this long and still aren't done? How big is your face anyway? Does it take this long to wash?"

"You're even nagging me about taking a bath."

"Are you coming out or not?"

"Scrubbing myself, duh."

"You little rascal! Get out here."

"Monk Tang rides a horse, dong-da-dong, followed closely by Sun Wukong. Sun Wukong runs real fast, followed closely by Zhu Bajie..."

"Why are you singing now? Little rascal, get out."

"My home is up there on the Loess Plateau, yo! My dad is my mom's cousin, yo! They sneaked around before tying the knot, yo, and accidentally had me, had me, yo~~~~"

Bam! The bathroom door was forcefully pushed open by Ma Lanhua.

Seeing Xiao Bai squatting on the floor and playing with water, she roared angrily, "You little rascal! What kind of nonsense are you singing? Look at you, scrubbing your ghost of a bath, just secretly playing with water in here! Is your little bottom itching for a beating?"

Whoosh—

With agile movements, Xiao Bai ducked under her arm, scurried like a puff of smoke onto her little bed, curled up in the corner, picked up her little water gun, glared fiercely at her aunt, and put on a menacing expression.

"Don't you dare mess with me, my little water gun goes *biu biu* and it's super scary, you know."

There is no doubt about it—the little water gun was full of water, having just been filled.

And there is no doubt that if someone really provoked her, she would definitely pull the trigger. There was a precedent; though her bottom got smacked every time, as long as someone provoked her again, she would still dare to fire, splashing water all over the enemy's face.

The little water gun was a gift from her beloved grandma, who said it was for her to protect herself. Therefore, whenever she encountered a nasty-hearted person, she would definitely draw her gun instantly.

Her aunt gave chase and shouted loudly, "Oh! Pointing your little water gun at me again, huh? What? Want to *biu* me? If you *biu* me once, I'll spank your bottom ten times."

Xiao Bai glared and said, "You scoot away, and I won't *biu* you."

Her aunt was furious.

"You little rascal with a black heart, you're making my blood boil."

Xiao Bai refused to be outdone: "You're the one making my blood boil!"

"How is your blood boiling?! You're playing with water and you still think you're in the right?"

Xiao Bai's eyes darted around. It seemed... she really wasn't in the right.

"Eh? Auntie, prick up your ears and listen, Uncle is snoring!"

Ma Lanhua didn't need to prick up her ears; the snoring was earth-shattering and anyone could hear it.

"That's just a pig."

"What should we do?"

"Do about what?"

"Uncle is snoring, aren't we going to sleep-sleep?"

"Good grief! It's already so late!"

"Sleep-sleep, bye~"

"Hold on a second."

"What? You still want to hit me?"

"Hit that pig brain of yours. Here is the summer outfit for you to wear. Look, don't you dare call me an old witch anymore, or your bottom is going to suffer."

"What? What?!! I get a new outfit?! Heh heh heh~~~"

Xiao Bai scrambled up in one smooth motion, wild with excitement, laughing like a honking goose.

Ma Lanhua handed her a neatly folded little outfit, laughing and scolding, "If I call you a little rascal, you refuse to admit it, but this is the classic behavior of a little rascal, a total goofball."

Xiao Bai happily examined her new clothes, willing to accept being called a goofball or a little rascal.

Her aunt added, "I've prepared several outfits for you."

Xiao Bai gave a start, as if her accelerator had been stepped on. Her excitement soared to the highest gear as she pursued, "Where are they?"

"Hiding them."

"Are there princess dresses?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"What do you mean 'why not'? No means no."

"Let me take a look."

"Look at my foot. I'll give them to you when it's time to wear them."

"Auntie, you are drop-dead gorgeous."

"Black-hearted brat."

"Auntie, I'm complimenting you, why are you calling me black-hearted?"

"You call me drop-dead gorgeous when I give you clothes, and you call me an old witch when I don't give you clothes. Aren't you black-hearted?"

"Think whatever you want, I am definitely not black-hearted."

She had no interest in bickering with her aunt; her entire mind was now consumed by the clothes in her hands.

It was a short-sleeved shirt, red and white, with two large numbers "33" printed on it, along with two Chinese characters reading "Messi".

Xiao Bai looked at it from left to right and found something amiss. She hopped off the bed, followed behind her aunt, and asked, "Auntie, why does this look like a boy's outfit?"

Her aunt replied, "Who said this is a boy's outfit?"

Xiao Bai wasn't so easily fooled, and asserted with certainty, "This is totally a boy's clothes. I'm a girl, you know. How did you get it wrong?"

Her aunt answered, "How did I get it wrong? You're a toddler, you don't need to be so particular about whether it's for a boy or a girl. Even your hair is a boy's haircut."

Xiao Bai reached up and tugged at her own hair. It certainly wasn't long, not like Chengcheng, Xiaomi, or Liuliu, but she was definitely a girl!

"When I pee, I squat down, you see. I'm a girl, and this clothes is meant for boys. Auntie, what's going on here?"

Her aunt said impatiently, "You don't want it? If you don't want it, give it back to me!"

As her aunt made a move to confiscate the clothes, Xiao Bai quickly scampered away and shouted, "What are you doing? I was just joking around, geez, you're not cute at all."

"Just a second ago you said I was drop-dead gorgeous, and now you say I'm not cute. You little black-hearted thing, go to sleep! Lie down on the bed right now!"

"Why are we going to sleep-sleep? Let me look at my new outfit a bit more."

"Look at my foot! It's already one o'clock."

"Auntie, why isn't it a princess dress?"

Without answering, Ma Lanhua clicked off the light with a snap, leaving Xiao Bai stamping her feet in anger.

"It's dawn! The big rooster is going to crow."

Ma Lanhua was also stamping her feet in anger—no, she was thrashing around like a corpse coming back to life in bed.

"Go to sleep! I have to go to work tomorrow, unlike you, who has it so easy!"

"I don't have it easy either, I'm super busy."

"Busy? What on earth are you busy with?"

"I, um, I..."

"Spit it out, what are you busy with?"

"... I'm busy counting stars."

"How bizarre, you little weirdo!"

"How am I a weirdo~"

"Stop talking, your aunt needs to sleep-sleep."

"Auntie, why did you call me a weirdo?"

"You just are."

"Why am I a weirdo?"

"Stop asking, I'm going to sleep!"

"Then why did you say I'm a weirdo?"

"If you don't go to sleep right now, watch out for little ghosts coming to get you."

"Little ghosts are toddlers just like me, we're good friends, what's there to be scared of? What are you going to do if one comes looking for you?"

"You little black-hearted thing, are you asking for a spanking?"

"Then why did you say I'm a weirdo? Tell me."

In the darkness, Ma Lanhua's blood boiled with rage. She sat up and caught Xiao Bai by surprise.

Xiao Bai protested angrily, "Why didn't you give a warning first?"

Catching her without a heads-up left her completely unprepared.

"Warning my foot!"

Pia~ pia~ pia~

She smacked Xiao Bai's bottom three times.

Xiao Bai took the beating in silence, and only afterwards became deeply indignant, muttering to herself for a long while.

As drowsiness crept in, Xiao Bai—who had been so deliriously happy over a little outfit—finally quieted down.