Your childhood…he…is he right?

Because it had been a long time since Xiao Ying last saw the director, the two of them went to a quiet spot to chat, while Su Mo stayed behind, staring blankly at a group of children.

“Brother Su Mo, have you won Sister Ying’s heart yet?”

A little girl asked with sparkling eyes, clearly the type who loved gossip.

“Ahaha, almost, almost.”

Su Mo answered, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Liar! You said the same thing last time!”

“Could it be that Brother Su Mo has another woman outside?”

Hearing this, Su Mo almost stumbled and fell.

Upon hearing the girl’s question, the other children stared intently at Su Mo, and even Xiao Ying, talking with the director nearby, couldn’t help but get distracted and listen.

“Ahem… What are you saying, little girl? Am I that kind of person?”

Rubbing the girl’s little head forcefully, Su Mo said, annoyed.

“But Sister Ying is so beautiful, yet Brother Su Mo doesn’t seem anxious at all. Aren’t you afraid someone else might steal her?”

Su Mo then wore a confident expression and said:

“No worries. The collision between love and miracles only produces stronger feelings.

Some things are destined from the very beginning.

What we need to do is either enjoy the process and embrace a beautiful future,

Or fight desperately, even if it’s in vain, to give a chance for miracles to emerge from a terrible future.

And the relationship between me and Sister Ying is definitely the first kind.

So we just need to enjoy the process.”

Hearing this, all the children wore expressions that said, “What is this man talking about? I don’t understand a thing.”

Seeing this, Su Mo sighed and said:

“Alright, alright, stop worrying about my life. What do you kids want to do now?”

The children looked at each other and said in unison:

“We want Brother Su Mo to tell us a story!”

“The last stories about the little nuclear match girl, the black charcoal princess, and little African fish were so good! We want to hear a new story from Brother Su Mo!”

When Su Mo first visited the orphanage, he had casually told the children some bizarre childhood stories.

He didn’t expect them to be so popular.

So Su Mo didn’t hold back and found a spot to sit down, saying:

“Since you love my stories so much, I can’t disappoint you. Let me think… Today I’ll tell the story of the pangolin, the old man, the gourd seed, and the monster.”

Upon hearing this, all the children sat around him with serious expressions.

Xiao Ying, having finished her chat with the director, joined them, sitting on a small chair and watching Su Mo.

“This is a story loved by children, told specifically for them.

I don’t remember all the details, but I can narrate the general plot.”

Clearing his throat, Su Mo began the story in his mind:

“Legend has it, there was an old man who built a house in the mountains. After many years, he finally grew tired of life under the sun on the mountaintop every day.

He decided to seek some excitement! But you see, there were no… ahem, places for pleasure in the mountains. So to satisfy his desires, he chose to climb the mountain.

Having heard of Bear Grylls before, he wanted to experience the thrill of crisp chicken, so he picked up his tools and set off.”

At this point, a child raised their hand and interrupted:

“Question! Who is Bear Grylls? Some nobleman?”

Su Mo replied: “No need for details. Just know he’s a man at the top of the food chain.

Now, stop interrupting, or I’ll lose my train of thought!”

Having explained, Su Mo continued the story, but Xiao Ying on the small chair felt something was wrong.

She readied herself to rush up and cover Su Mo’s mouth at any moment.

“After enduring 81 hardships, the old man finally reached a tall mountain near his home. He tried to change into climbing shoes but found them broken, so he wore backup straw sandals and began climbing.

Midway, the old man saw the neighbor’s old snake trying to court a female bird while the neighbor’s rooster was away. As a pure-hearted warrior, the old man was furious.

He threw a sickle at the snake, scoring first blood. The sickle kept going, killing the mother bird and all the eggs, achieving godlike status.

Overexcited, the old man celebrated with his hands in the air and accidentally fell into a cave!

Getting up, he saw a stone tablet reading ‘Gourd Mountain Zoo.’ Being an animal lover, he happily rushed inside.

Then! He met the love of his life! A beautiful pangolin, breathtakingly graceful!

The man and beast fell in love at first sight, but the resident snakes and scorpions in the zoo envied them. So the old man and pangolin ran out of the zoo seeking true love.

But they were monsters and could endanger humans. The zoo director, Grandpa Mountain God, told them that only their offspring could defeat the snake and scorpion.

So after days of entwined affection in the cave, their offspring finally appeared!

It was a magical gourd seed! The old man and pangolin planted it! Then… uuuhhh!”

Su Mo grew more excited as he spoke, raising his voice.

At the most intense moment, a soft little hand covered his mouth.

It was Xiao Ying, realizing the situation and rushing over. Her face flushed, she looked at the bewildered Su Mo and said:

“Is this really a story for children? Haven’t you noticed anything inappropriate?”

Startled, Su Mo glanced at the others and saw no reaction, then hesitantly said:

“Shouldn’t be… I think it’s fine? Xiao Ying, if you don’t like it, I can summarize the story simply.”

Hearing this, the other children looked disappointed and pleaded with Xiao Ying:

“Please let Brother Su Mo finish, Sister Ying. We beg you.”

Seeing the children’s earnest requests, Xiao Ying reluctantly agreed, but insisted that Su Mo tell the story in the simplest terms without including anything inappropriate.

Su Mo nodded and said:

“Alright, I’ll summarize simply.

The gourd seed grew seven children. The old man and pangolin should have lived happily with the seven children, but a mischievous snake and scorpion captured the old man.

The children’s attempts to rescue him all failed.

However, over time, the old man and the snake grew to love each other and became a couple, while the abandoned scorpion, heartbroken, went to… ahem… be with the pangolin.

And that’s the story.”