Xiao Jingting was counting his pitiful possessions in the room when sounds came from outside. Xiao Jingting quickly realized that his male wife had returned.
In his previous life, Xiao Jingting had been gay. Afraid of discrimination, he had remained single his whole life. In this life, discovering he had a rather good-looking male wife, Xiao Jingting felt somewhat excited and also somewhat shy.
The original owner’s relationship with his male wife had been very strained. Although the two lived under the same roof, they often had nothing to say when they met, and when they did speak, it was never anything pleasant.
Xiao Jingting didn’t rush forward to try to get close, but instead hid in his room to observe the situation.
Xu Mu’an called out “Xiaodong,” and the door across the way immediately opened.
“Are you hungry?” Xu Mu’an entered the room and looked at his two thin sons with some guilt.
“Not hungry!” Xiao Xiaofan raised his hand and declared with full vigor.
Xiao Xiaodong glared fiercely at Xiao Xiaofan, who shrank back from the glare.
Xu Mu’an looked at Xiao Xiaofan with a strange expression. His younger son had been born with deficiencies and wasn’t mentally complete, so he didn’t like to lie. Usually when Xu Mu’an came home, the boy would already be clinging to his legs asking for food, but this time he said he wasn’t hungry—which definitely meant he was full.
“Your little brother already ate?” Xu Mu’an asked Xiao Xiaodong.
Xiao Xiaodong nodded and said, “Yes, that person across the way got up to cook porridge, and little brother went over to mooch some food.”
“There was also steamed egg—it was very tasty,” Xiao Xiaofan said, still savoring the memory as he licked his lips.
“He didn’t hit you, did he?” Xu Mu’an asked.
Xiao Xiaofan shook his head and said, “No.”
“I told you not to approach him casually. If you get beaten to death by him, you’ll deserve it,” Xiao Xiaodong said, glaring at Xiao Xiaofan.
Xiao Xiaofan pouted, fidgeting with his fingers, and said somewhat aggrievedly, “But he’s still Daddy!”
Xiao Xiaodong looked at Xiao Xiaofan’s pitiful appearance but ultimately didn’t voice that “he doesn’t consider us his sons.”
“Mother-father, do you think he has some kind of scheme?” Xiao Xiaodong asked, full of wariness.
Xu Mu’an shook his head and said somewhat wearily, “I don’t know either.”
“Mother-father, that bastard has become addicted to gambling. I heard he’s also taking Xiaoyao Powder. He’s sold almost all the farmland. Next, he’ll sell the house, and after that, it’ll be our turn,” Xiao Xiaodong said angrily.
Xu Mu’an lowered his head, unable to hide the anxiety in his eyes.
In this savage world, most people made their living through cultivation. People were divided into five elemental attributes: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Among these, wood element could promote crop growth, water element could nourish plants, and earth element could enrich soil—these were highly valued. Metal element would make soil barren, and fire element would scorch crops, so people with these two attributes had much lower status than the other three.
Xu Mu’an had fire attributes. After this was discovered, he was sold by his parents.
Xiao Jingting actually had water and wood attributes, making him very suitable for farming. Unfortunately, this spoiled young master was lazy and had never set foot in the fields.
Xiao Jingting leaned against the door, eavesdropping on the father and sons’ whispered conversation next door. Xiao Jingting had already learned from the original owner’s memories that Xiao Xiaodong was clever, but he hadn’t expected the boy to be so far-sighted and calculating.
In this world, people were divided into men, women, and Shuanger. Shuanger could both marry others and be married, but their status was very low. When Xu Mu’an entered the Xiao family, he had signed a slavery contract. If Xiao Jingting really wanted to sell his sons, then Xu Mu’an would be powerless to stop it.
Xu Mu’an closed his eyes, feeling a deep sense of helplessness wash over him.
Xu Mu’an was already a Third Level Qi Cultivation practitioner. If he didn’t have two children, he could join a mercenary group or become a guard for some family. Even if he didn’t do well, supporting himself wouldn’t be a problem. But he had two children, and one of them wasn’t mentally complete.
Xu Mu’an lowered his head, his heart filled with confusion.
“Father, what are we eating today?” Xiao Xiaodong asked hopefully.
Xu Mu’an said with some guilt, “Wild vegetables.”
Xiao Xiaodong’s eyes quickly dimmed. Xiao Xiaodong and Xiao Xiaofan were at the stage where they were growing and needed substantial nutrition, but he couldn’t provide such conditions for his two sons. Sometimes Xu Mu’an could catch some wild game, but such opportunities weren’t frequent.
Xu Mu’an let out a light sigh. He simply didn’t dare venture deep into the forest. If he died, Xiao Jingting would absolutely never care for his two sons.
