Today, Maria's actions shattered all preconceived notions, revealing that she was far from being a well-behaved child.
Mischievous children often bring trouble to their parents, which causes great headaches for many of them.
Today, Zhao Lun found himself briefly troubled, but thankfully, the little girl knew the limits of her pranks, and everyone could accept them.
When the guests arrived, Zhao Lun led them around to explore the surroundings of his home.
His friends were genuinely surprised by the condition of his house, never expecting it to be so well-off.
They were aware of Zhao Lun's family situation, knowing that in normal circumstances, many people struggle to make ends meet, but Zhao Lun was no ordinary person.
"Your house is nice, though there are quite a few holes in the walls."
"And the sound of rats... It's no different from our place."
In the end, the two gave Maria an evaluation of the house, which left the little girl displeased.
Her house was the most beautiful, and she couldn't stand anyone looking down on it, feeling a sense of injustice.
"Hmph! Maria saw in the newspaper that there's a family, the Wesleys, so poor they can't even afford food."
In response to their provocation, Maria somehow managed to pull out a newspaper, waving it in front of them.
"..." The two could only look at the familiar images in the newspaper, their minds filled with thoughts of cursing every woman in the Malfoy family. They had been causing trouble for them recently, constantly slandering their family. And now, they were at it again, complete with clear pictures.
The image showed a house and a person angrily waving his hand to drive someone away—someone who looked like their father.
"Maria, that's rude. Apologize."
"Oh."
"Don't blame Maria. Hmm, this place is indeed beautiful. Look at these flowers, I've never seen any so beautiful."
"Yes, the flowers in the estate are lovely, and the bees here almost stung me!"
"Allen, you bastard! How could you not explain things properly to your 'adorable' sister?"
"…"
As Zhao Lun showed them around, Maria and the guests bickered along the way. Though the arguments were heated, no one was angry.
Time passed quickly, and before long, it was noon.
To entertain the guests, Zhao Lun had provided many special ingredients from the Divine Kingdom for Chef Mulan.
Mulan, always serious about her craft, pulled out her best skills from the moment she received the ingredients.
By now, it was lunchtime, and the delicious aroma of food filled the entire living room.
Even before they entered, the smell alone made everyone eagerly anticipate the meal.
Before they even came in, they saw Maria with a few eager dogs, drooling over the food on the table.
"Brother, Angela, Monica, Nicole."
"Time to eat."
The little girl immediately called them to eat, only to overlook the two guests. They didn't mind, knowing that Maria was simply being playful.
The Wesley brothers, smelling the food's fragrance and seeing the art-like presentation on the table, couldn't take their eyes off it.
Zhao Lun introduced them to one another.
"Nicole, Angela, Monica, let me introduce you to my friends."
"This is Fred, and this is George, they are brothers."
"Fred, George, this is Monica, Nicole, and Angela, oh, and this is Ada."
"Hello, beautiful ladies."
"Hello, I've heard about you from Allen."
The introduction was brief. Both Fred and George felt awkward, focusing on the food instead of the women.
At that moment, it seemed as if they could think of nothing but the food on the table, their nervousness palpable.
The ladies, seeing their awkwardness, quickly finished the introductions and left. As they departed, the two brothers relaxed and returned to their usual demeanor.
"Allen, does your family always have such lavish meals?"
"This is absolutely enviable."
The two brothers swallowed their saliva, unable to hide their admiration.
They had never seen such a sumptuous lunch before, and just the aroma was enough to make them salivate, almost beyond belief. The food looked like pieces of art—magic in its own right.
"No, you're guests. When guests arrive, how could I not prepare something more lavish?"
"Allen's right. According to Chinese customs, when friends come over, we always treat them well."
"Alright, let's stop talking and dig in."
"Maria is hungry, let's start!"
A few words were exchanged, and at Maria's insistence, they all began the meal. The lunch was flawless, from the ingredients to the chef's skills. Everyone was so absorbed in the food that they hardly spoke a word. The dishes on the table were quickly devoured, and new ones were brought out.
"Woof!"
The dogs, now without food, growled in dissatisfaction, reminding their owners.
"Stop whining, eat your dog food!"
The dogs, feeling wronged, lowered their heads with teary eyes and went to the corner to eat their own lunch.
This meal was undoubtedly a success. Afterward, Zhao Lun took everyone, including Maria, to the town for a stroll.
"Wow, this road is nice, very quiet."
As they passed the road leading into town, George stuck his head out the window and admired the view.
"George, I think this car is impressive. Look here, here, and here..."
"George, this is the power of technology."
"Muggle technology!?"
"Yes."
"Incredible!"
"Too bad it can't fly. If only it could fly."
The two brothers found many exciting things in the car—fridge, flat-screen TV, games, and projectors.
The only regret was that the car couldn't fly.
"Allen, let me tell you quietly, my dad is modifying a car that can fly."
"If your car can fly, just imagine how..."
"Cool!"
"Exactly, it's really cool!"
"Your ideas are indeed cool! But my current skills aren't enough to modify it, and besides, the Ministry of Magic bans modifications."
"Bans modifications? If you don't say it, I won't either, who will know?"
"Alright, you've got a point. Now, magic is indeed prohibited."
"Ugh, damn rules, why can't students use magic during the holidays?"
"Yeah, but Muggle technology isn't bad either."
The two brothers were utterly stunned by Muggle technology and gave it a reserved but positive evaluation. For them to give such praise was already a significant achievement.
Having grown up in the magical world, their entire understanding was rooted in the supremacy of magic.
They had always been told that Muggle life was dreadful without magic, that everything was more difficult for Muggles.
When they wanted to travel, they either had to ride slow carriages or take iron-cased vehicles, while wizards could fly with broomsticks, teleport with apparition, or use the floo network.
If their clothes got dirty, Muggles had to wash them by hand, but wizards could just use a spell to clean them in an instant.
If something broke, Muggles had to throw it away, wasting it all, while wizards could just repair it with magic.
Even when they were sick, Muggles could lose their lives, while wizards had magic potions to heal them.
Most importantly, in the face of danger, Muggles had to call the police, and whether they would come was uncertain.
What seemed dangerous to Muggles was nothing for wizards—one spell could easily take care of it.
Many wizards often mocked Muggles, saying they were foolish for playing sports like rugby, where twenty people fought for one ball.
"Oh my god! Just thinking about it, it's hard for them to comprehend—twenty people fighting for one ball. Such a nonsensical sport!"
What does this show? It shows how foolish they are! What sport could possibly compare to the fun of Quidditch?
This kind of thinking wasn't unique to the Weasley family, but rather the prevailing mentality of the entire wizarding world.
Wizards were powerful, but they were also confined within the magical community, rarely engaging with the Muggle world, which led to a significant disconnect.
Zhao Lun felt that the isolated wizarding world was like an empire in seclusion, now being slowly eroded by the Muggle world, which had developed around it.
If wizards didn't address this problem soon, they would lose some of their advantages in the future.
Of course, Zhao Lun didn't need to worry about the development of the wizarding world. No matter how much the outside world changed, it wouldn't affect him negatively.
"This fruit is good, tastes just like the ones we had at Hogwarts."
"Of course, this fruit comes from the same place."
After admiring the scenery, they took out some fruit from the fridge. The fruit was juicy, and when they bit into it, the sweet juice filled their mouths. The two brothers ate happily while gazing at the view, thoroughly delighted.
Maria, feeling left out, also grabbed some fruit from the fridge.
Before they reached the town, they spotted a remarkable building, shining brightly in the sun.
"What a huge gem!"
From a distance, Diamond Star looked like a giant gemstone, and first-time visitors often mistook it for a large, cut jewel.
Their admiration made Zhao Lun and Maria happy. After all, this was theirs, and their praise was essentially praise for its owner.
"Would you like to take a picture? I have a camera."
Zhao Lun took out a camera, which made everyone even more excited.
There were two types of cameras—one made by Muggles and the other by wizards.
The wizard camera could capture moving images of people, and Zhao Lun preferred using a wizard camera, as it could create enchanted photos.
The town had grown quite a bit, with plenty of things to see and enjoy. Among the most bustling places were the commercial street, the game arcade, and the movie theaters.
The commercial street was newly built, filled with the latest goods. Since it opened, the townspeople found it much more convenient, no longer needing to travel far for things they needed.
Today, the street was busy, unlike the original place, which had become quieter.
This was inevitable, as the new area was specifically designed for commerce. Thanks to the construction of this area, they had made a lot of money.
There were now more movie theaters, with two additional ones opening. Though none were as luxurious as Maria's, they were still impressive.
After a brief stroll through the commercial street, they took the brothers to the game arcade to experience its fun. The arcade was filled with new gaming machines, each with the latest games installed.
Many players traveled from other cities just to experience the games there.
"I never imagined Muggles could have such gaming machines. They're unbelievable."
"This discovery will surely astonish many wizards."
Their experiences throughout the day had truly overturned their understanding of Muggles.