No Substitutes for the Bigshots' Dream Girl Anymore!-Chapter 1830: The Golden Lotus Side Story (7)

Of course, Big Round and Golden Lotus followed along too. They were even more excited than the first time they went.

Hannah loved the environment in Burley. The ancient town was tranquil—not particularly bustling—but during the day, there were babbling streams and wafting chimney smoke, and at night, there were the twinkling lights of ten thousand homes, accompanied by the hum of human activity.

Here, you weren’t separated by skyscrapers; everything was within reach.

Last night, Burley experienced a rainfall. The air in the town was still damp; raindrops trickled from the eaves, and the cobblestone paths, uneven and weathered, formed small puddles where water had gathered.

In those puddles were reflections of the azure sky, gray tiled roofs and white walls, as children laughed and skipped over them, chasing after one another until they dashed far away.

Auntie Li, who ran a guesthouse, tidied up a small courtyard she had unused after Hannah expressed her desire to stay in Burley for a longer period.

The old wooden door creaked open, revealing not gloom but an invigorating vibrancy.

In the courtyard stood a banyan tree. In Burley, a place where both mountains and waters bless the spirit, the trees and flowers flourish with vitality. The banyan tree was lush and verdant, its branches and leaves sprawling, casting a broad canopy of shade.

Underneath this shade, stone tables and stools were nestled. When the breeze blew through, the leaves rustled, scattering a few fallen ones—some landing on the table, others carried beyond the courtyard walls.

Compared to a guesthouse, this small cottage clearly had a richer charm of the ancient town.

"No one has lived in this house for many years. If there’s anything you need, just come find me. I hope you won’t mind its shortcomings." Auntie Li, wearing a pair of old-fashioned glasses, smiled with a particularly warm and friendly demeanor.

Arnold Simmons accepted the key with politeness, "You’re doing us a big favor. Thank you."

"What’s there to talk about favors?" Auntie Li waved her hand with a laugh. "I still have things to handle at the guesthouse. Come over for dinner tonight!"

Arnold walked her to the door.

Auntie Li waved her hand again, "No need to see me off. Don’t tell me I don’t know my way around here!"

Arnold escorted her all the way to the street corner before heading back.

The nearby children who had been playing heard that someone had moved into the vacant house and came over to take a look, each craning their necks eagerly to peer into the courtyard.

Inside, Golden Lotus was napping, while Big Round was sitting under the banyan tree trying to catch falling leaves in its mouth.

A leaf landed in its mouth, and after chewing it a couple of times and realizing it didn’t taste good, it spat it out and went after the next one.

Looking rather silly, it resembled a "bear stealing honey."

"Is that a bear?"

"No, it’s a dog. Just like Village Yellow, although the color is different."

"It’s even bigger than Village Yellow. Do you think it bites people?"

Golden Lotus heard the commotion, peeked up at the doorway, and let out a prideful hum.

The children stared in astonishment. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"So the dog is real!"

It was most certainly real.

"Why is its fur curly? It’s even prettier than Village Yellow’s!"

The universally adorable Golden Lotus was, naturally, the cutest of all!

"It’s so round, and it has a little belly too!"

Golden Lotus sat up, glanced down at its belly indignantly, and declared, "Is this a little belly? This is adorable!"

But to the children’s ears, all of these retorts sounded like "Woof woof woof."

"It’s so fierce. We’d better leave quickly!"

"Let’s hurry up and go! You’re not welcome here anyway!" Golden Lotus, furious, chased them all the way to the courtyard gate.

The children giggled and ran off into the distance.

Golden Lotus plopped down onto the threshold of the courtyard, gently patting its round little belly in dismay.

Big Round came over to play, gripping a toy ball in its mouth.

Golden Lotus murmured as if talking to itself, "Big Round, do you think I’ve been eating too much?"